Premier League Matchday 21 Preview and Prediction (Part 2)

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace: Prediction and Preview

A spirited draw at fellow Premier League title contenders Liverpool had Arsenal celebrating Christmas at the top of the tree, but Mikel Arteta’s side must now find a way to respond when they host Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on Saturday after three disappointing losses followed that Anfield clash.

Bukayo Saka‘s early opener proved entirely redundant at Craven Cottage against Fulham, who roared back with goals from Raúl Jiménez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid to ensure Arsenal wrapped up their 2023 with back-to-back defeats to London rivals. Those derby-day blues leave Arteta’s men fourth in the league table, five points adrift of leaders Liverpool and three behind both Aston Villa and Manchester City, although the latter pair already played in last weekend’s first five Matchday 21 fixtures.

There was no redemption in the FA Cup third round either for Arsenal as Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool dealt another psychological blow with a 2-0 triumph at the Emirates, where a Jakub Kiwior own goal and Luis Díaz’s late strike did the damage. Arsenal have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions, losing each of their last three – their fewest wins over a seven-game period under Arteta, who will at least hope to have Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko back for Saturday’s kick-off.

After a similarly underwhelming December, pressure appeared to be mounting on Palace manager Roy Hodgson, though his side ended an eight-game winless run in the league with a 3-1 victory over London rivals Brentford at Selhurst Park in their last top-flight outing. Michael Olise scored twice along with a goal for Eberechi Eze.

However, a much-needed Premier League triumph came at a cost as Olise suffered a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury and will subsequently miss the remainder of January having already sat out of a 1-1 draw with Everton in the FA Cup third round and the defeat in Wednesday’s replay.

On Saturday, Palace will be looking to win consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023, when they won each of their first three following Hodgson’s return to the club, to lift them from their 14th-place league-table position. They sit just five points clear of 18th-placed Luton Town heading into this weekend’s MD 21 clashes, although the reported points deduction for Nottingham Forest and Everton may ease relegation fears at Selhurst Park.

Palace have struggled on their trips to the Emirates, winning just one of their last 12 away Premier League games at Arsenal (D4 L7), with their only victory in that period coming in a 3-2 triumph in April 2019 thanks to goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur.

Arsenal have won their last three league games against Palace, too, having previously managed just one win in eight Premier League matches with the Selhurst Park side (D5 L2) from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

That three-game winning streak includes a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture this season as Martin Ødegaard’s 54th-minute penalty proved the difference despite Takehiro Tomiyasu’s sending off 13 minutes after the opener.

Prediction: Arsenal to win @1.30

Brentford vs Nottingham Forest: Prediction and Preview

It’s fair to say Brentford have missed Ivan Toney during the striker’s eight-month ban for breaching the Football Association’s gambling rules. The Bees head into Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest just three points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone and on a miserable run of form that’s seen them go seven games without a win in all competitions. As Toney returns to the fray, can he inspire an upturn against another side glancing nervously over their shoulders?

Brentford have lost seven of their last eight Premier League games (one win), including each of their last five, having squandered an early lead in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out in the competition on 30 December. They last endured a longer losing run in league action as a second-tier side in March 1993, while only in April 1947 have they had a longer such streak in the top flight (seven).

The England international has an excellent record against Forest, netting in all three of his previous league games against them, while he has also scored on his last three home league outings.

His return is even more welcome given Brentford’s selection problems. Fellow attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade are sidelined, while Yoane Wissa is representing DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations. Frank Onyeka is also at that tournament with Nigeria while Iran’s Saman Ghoddos is at the Asian Cup, but defenders Kristoffer Ajer and Ben Mee returned from injury and suspension in midweek and should feature in Saturday’s lineup.

Forest’s problems, meanwhile, are predominantly of an off-pitch nature, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s positive start at the City Ground in danger of being undone by Monday’s charge for an alleged breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Forest won’t discover their punishment – if found guilty – until April, but a 10-point deduction identical to that received by Everton in November would, at present, plunge them to 19th in the table.

On the pitch, Nuno has overseen a clear upturn since taking the reins from Steve Cooper. Having won their last two Premier League games against Newcastle United (3-1) and Manchester United (2-1), Forest could post three straight wins in the competition for the first time since May 1999. Forest were also in FA Cup action in midweek, as they won their replay at Blackpool on Wednesday night 3-2 thanks to goals from Andrew Omobamidele, Danilo and an extra-time strike from Chris Wood.

The omens are good for Brentford ahead of this meeting of potential strugglers. The Bees are unbeaten in their last five league meetings with Forest, winning two and drawing three against them since suffering a 1-0 home defeat in the Championship in January 2020.

However, October’s return fixture was one of many games in which they have squandered a lead this campaign, with Nicolás Domínguez cancelling out Christian Nørgaard’s opener despite Forest having defender Moussa Niakhaté sent off early in the second half.

Forest lost this exact fixture 2-1 last April, with late goals from Toney and Josh Dasilva completing a remarkable turnaround after Danilo had put the visitors in front.

They could now lose on successive league trips to Brentford for just the second time, previously doing so in April 1949 and August 2016.

Prediction: Home draw no bet @ 1.40

Bournemouth vs Liverpool Prediction and Preview:

With the chance to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool travel south to square off with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Both sides have spent a fortnight recuperating from recent FA Cup successes, as the Reds overcame Arsenal 2-0 in the third round, while the Cherries produced a stellar fightback to sink Queens Park Rangers 3-2.

As the temperatures plummeted heading into the festive period, Bournemouth turned up the heat under Andoni Iraola to leave their former relegation rivals in their wake, taking 19 points from 21 on offer during a magnificent seven-game streak before being thwarted on Tottenham Hotspur's turf.

As inspiring as their recent renaissance has been, Bournemouth are traditionally one of the kindest teams for league leaders to face; the Cherries have been beaten in all nine of their Premier League games against teams starting the day at the top of the table, netting a mere six goals in that dismal sequence.

Bournemouth may very well have taken a leaf out of Liverpool's comeback book during their visit to QPR, and while the Reds did not need to harness their fightback powers against a wasteful Arsenal in the FA Cup, Jurgen Klopp's men did it the hard way once again when Fulham arrived for their EFL Cup semi-final first leg.

With neither Aston Villa nor Manchester City in action this weekend, victory for Klopp's crop would see them temporarily steer five points clear at the summit of the rankings, and their winning streak in all competitions stands at four matches since their 1-1 draw with Arsenal on December 23, now a rather unjust result after Howard Webb conceded that the Reds should have been awarded a penalty on the day.

Each of the Reds' last three Premier League away games have also seen the Merseyside giants emerge victorious, and they have already avenged last year's 1-0 loss in this fixture, following up a 3-1 Anfield win in August with a 2-1 EFL Cup success on the South Coast just last month.

Bournemouth's horrendous record against Premier League table-toppers makes for extremely grim reading indeed, but Iraola's goal-happy side ought not to be blown to smithereens by an absentee-hit Liverpool, who are particularly vulnerable in the wide areas right now.

However, Klopp's side have been the masters of overcoming adversity this season, and with Bournemouth still looking a little shaky at the back, we have faith in Liverpool to travel back to Merseyside with a fifth successive win and a five-point lead at the top.

Prediction: Liverpool to win @ 1.70