"Arsenal have found the net in both halves in five of their nine home games in the league, while Palace have leaked goals on both sides of the break in seven of their last ten outings."
Back Arsenal to score in both halves at 1.90 (sportsbook product)
It's a slightly disconcerting time for Arsenal fans who still harbour ambitions of winning the Premier League title this season. Back-to-back defeats at Everton and Manchester City have seen the Gunners slip nine points behind leaders Chelsea (it could be 12 by the time this game kicks off at the Emirates), and manager Arsene Wenger is already describing the men from Stamford Bridge as "super-favourites" to win the title, even though half the season remains.
With a tough Champions League tie coming up against Bayern Munich, and a fierce race developing for a place in the top four, Arsenal fans can be forgiven for having a sense of déjà vu. However, there are some causes for optimism. Firstly, the Gunners aren't far shy of an average of two points per game, which would normally have a team closer to top spot. If they win on Sunday, they'll have 40 points at the halfway stage of the Premier League season, something they've only managed once in the last six seasons.
Another positive is that Arsenal showed on Boxing Day that they can still dig deep and win even if they aren't playing well. West Brom defied them with diligent defending until the 86th minute, but the Gunners found a way through. That continued a fine run at home in the league - Arsenal have won six and drawn two of their last eight PL games at the Emirates.
Theo Walcott is still struggling with a calf injury, but influential centre-back Shkodran Mustafi is back to full fitness after a hamstring problem.
Crystal Palace
As new Palace boss Sam Allardyce well knows, football is about taking chances when they arrive. He failed to make the most of his with England, and his new club failed to beat Watford in his first game in charge. With the Eagles 1-0 up at Vicarage Road, Christian Benteke's weakly-struck penalty was saved, and Palace went on to gift Watford a spot-kick of their own to make it 1-1.
Allardyce admits his new charges lack resilience, and there's no doubt that he has some defensive holes to fill in. Palace have leaked 20 goals on the road this term, and only the bottom two have worse defensive records overall. The absence of centre-back Damien Delaney won't help in that regard, and a long injury list is hampering the new boss's preparations. James Tomkins, James McArthur and Joe Ledley are all carrying knocks, and may not make the starting XI.
Although I am confident that Allardyce will eventually reorganise Palace and get them clear of relegation danger, the Opta stats suggest he may struggle here. Allardyce has a poor record against Arsenal at the Emirates. He has never won there, has lost on nine of his 12 visits, and his teams have conceded 26 goals in the process. Palace have never won at the Emirates either, and you have to go back to 1994 for their last win against Arsenal in north London.
Arsenal are understandably short to take three points here, and are trading at 1.34 for the victory. That in itself is too short for our tastes, so we then need to find a legitimate way to back the hosts at a more attractive price.
You could back Arsenal -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.93, but it's worth considering that Arsenal have only won three of their nine PL home games by two goals or more.
You could also back an Arsenal/Over 2.5 Goals double at 1.76. That bet has paid out in five of the Gunners' nine home games in the league this season, and six of Palace's last seven league defeats have featured three goals or more.
Five of Arsenal's last six Premier League games have featured three goals or more, as have six of their nine home matches. Palace have seen an Over 2.5 Goals bet land in seven of their last ten league games, and given Allardyce's record at the Emirates, it's perhaps no surprise that Over 2.5 Goals is trading at 1.61.
Although the absence of Theo Walcott is a blow for Arsenal, they still have the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, and should be able to find holes in a patched-up Palace rearguard. They have scored in both halves of five of their nine PL home games, and they have also netted in both halves of eight of their 11 Premier League wins this term.
On the Palace side of things, they have conceded in both halves in seven of their last ten league matches.
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