Chris Sutton and Jon McClure Share Premier League Predictions for Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal

Chris Sutton is providing predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, featuring various guests. For week 17, he is joined by Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure. Sutton’s prediction is a 0-1 victory. He notes that this fixture is a repeat of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final, where Arsenal scored from open play, remarking on the unexpected nature of such events. Mikel Arteta’s team narrowly won that previous encounter, and Sutton anticipates a similarly close contest. Crystal Palace has shown significant improvement in recent weeks, indicating a positive turn in their performance. Sutton observed an analysis on MOTD2 last week concerning Crystal Palace’s win over Brighton, which highlighted the effectiveness of the Eagles’ back three and the consistent partnership of Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, and Trevoh Chalobah, who have now played together for 12 consecutive games. Consequently, the match is expected to be challenging for Arsenal. Sutton had anticipated a stronger season from them, but despite losing only two of their first 16 league games, they have only secured wins in half of those matches. Arsenal is in strong need of a victory in this game, and Sutton believes they will manage to secure it. He predicts a 1-0 win for Arsenal, emphasizing that the source of the goal, even if from another set-piece, is irrelevant as all goals count. Sutton has previously stated that many other teams would desire the same level of threat Arsenal possesses from corners. McClure’s prediction also favors Arsenal with a 0-1 scoreline. He expects Arsenal to win, but by a narrow margin, attributing this to Crystal Palace’s current good form. McClure forecasts a 1-0 “‘George Graham style'” victory, potentially from a Gabriel or William Saliba header following a corner. McClure also seriously commends Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, for fundamentally altering the execution of corners, which he believes has had a profound impact on the game.