Arsenal v Crystal Palace: Premier League – live! | Football

Arsenal, meanwhile, will look to move the ball quickly – from side to side if necessary – in order to prise Palace open. But they’ll be delighted if Palace come onto them , because they’ve got plenty of pace and invention on the break.

Looking at the match-up, Palace will, I think, look to get the ball wide then men into the box. In particular, I’d expect them to look for Jordan Ayew down the right, so that Edouard can join Benteke in the box, because Ben White lacks physical presence and Takehiro Tomiyasu is still settling into the Premier League. Given Arsenal’s selection, they may also fancy themselves to do well in midfield, because if Conor Gallagher and James McArthur are prepared to run on and gamble, Thomas Partey will have a lot of work to do.

Palace, meanwhile, have a change enforced upon them and it’s a biggun: Wilfried Zaha is ill, so Christian Benteke replaces him, Odsonne Edouard moving to left-wing to accommodate him. Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp, Palace’s scorers in that uplifting 2-2 draw with Leicester, remain on the bench.

Interesting. Sky reckon that actually, Arsenal are playing 4-1-4-1, with Saka on the left; if so, I’m slightly disappointed. Not because he’s been moved from the right, but because though he’s good on the right, I fear if he stays there, he may have to settle for being a top player. On the other hand, I’d love to see if a move into midfield could turn him into a top, top player; his football brain and versatility are off the charts, and as far as I can see he has every attribute to play there. Anyhow, Pepe for Lokonga is the only change to the team which was poor in drawing 0-0 at Brighton; Arteta seems to have settled on a first X, with that I place up for grabs in certain circumstances.

Arsenal (an invigorated 4-3-3): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tierney; Partey, Odegaard, Saka; Pepe, Aubameyang, Smith Rowe. Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Cedric, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Martinelli.

Crystal Palace (an uncomplicated 4-3-3): Guaita; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Gallagher, Milivojevic, McArthur; Ayew, Benteke, Edouard. Subs: Butland, Tomkins, Olise, Kouyate, Hughes, Mateta, Schlupp, Clyne, Kelly.

I love the smell of narrative in the evening, which is just as well because the match that awaits us is absolutely dripping with it – even by the exulted standards of “this league”.

Patrick Vieira was and is an Arsenal legend, an exceptional athlete, highly-technical enforcer, and inspirational leader able to do pretty much everything necessary on a football pitch. Once upon a time we called that “a midfielder”, but more recently we’ve become accustomed to qualifying prefixes like “attacking”, “defensive” and “holding”, along with adaptations from abroad like “regista”, “interior” and “doble pivote”. Ultimately, though, the only thing you could really know Vieira by was “Vieira” because there was no one remotely like him.

Anyhow, he returns to the Emirates tonight, but as manager of Crystal Palace; the Arsenal job went to Mikel Arteta, who was and is none of the above. He did, however, play for the club and was respected for his football brain, so those who know him were unsurprised when he went into coaching.

Arteta’s Arsenal team play a style far more convoluted than that of Vieira’s. That might be because he received his football education in Spain and worked for Pep Guardiola; because the game and its fashion has changed; because he doesn’t have players good enough to just get on with things. But whatever the reasons, we’re set for a game of contrasts, Arsenal deploying a patient, lightly constipated approach, while Palace look to keep it loose. This should be a belter.

Kick-off: 8pm BST