Crystal Palace face a tough assignment next up in the Premier League, as they travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.
Oliver Glasner’s side have a big week ahead, with the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
Before that, their full focus must be on their trip to North London, where they have struggled in the Premier League, to say the least.
In 15 top-flight games away to the Gunners since 1992/93, they have won just two, with one of those a 2-1 win back in 1994/95, and the other a 3-2 victory in 2018/19. Arsenal have won nine of those 15, whilst four have ended as a draw.
Here is a look at Palace’s team news ahead of their London derby on Wednesday night.
Crystal Palace's team news pre Arsenal
It is a week for Palace that Glasner described as their “Champions League week” in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Luckily, ahead of the clash against Arsenal and then their trip to Wembley to face the Villans, there is an almost entirely clean bill of health at Selhurst Park.
The Palace boss explained in his press conference that there is only one player who will be unavailable for the trip to the Emirates Stadium, namely Ben Chilwell. The England international is unavailable, although the reason is “not injury, but sickness”, as Glasner put it.
It was confirmed by the 50-year-old that he was in line to start, but he has not trained due to illness. Of course, Chris Richards will be unavailable after he was sent off in the Eagles’ 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend. He will be back for the FA Cup clash next weekend.
So, that certainly leaves Glasner with decisions to make regarding his team selection, given he has almost the entire squad to pick from.
In a busy period for the club, he might well decide to rotate things in the midfield to keep things fresh, with one man who has a good record against Arsenal, potentially in line to start.
How Crystal Palace can rest Wharton
Palace are not short of options in the centre of midfield, with Will Hughes and Adam Wharton two of their most important players. However, the games are coming thick and fast, with Saturday’s semi-final fifth game in two weeks.
That might mean rotation is on the cards for Glasner, and Wharton is one man who could drop out of the starting lineup in order to keep him ready for the weekend. His importance cannot be understated, with the manager calling him an “extraordinary football player” last year.
Luckily for the Eagles, they have Daichi Kamada waiting in the wings to step into Wharton’s shoes. He has played 36 games in his debut Premier League season, featuring right across the midfield, chipping in with two goals and three assists.
Kamada, described as a “quality” player by Palace fan and football content creator Ollie Thomas, will certainly maintain the levels of the midfield.
When comparing his 2024/25 Premier League stats to Wharton, courtesy of Squawka, he wins more ground duels on average, with 4.5 compared to 4.2, and plays just two fewer passes, with 33.5 to Wharton’s 35.5.
Open play passes completed
33.5
35.5
Chances created
1.3
1.8
Take-on success rate
36.36%
20%
Ground duels won
4.5
4.2
Tackles made
3
2.5
As it happens, the midfielder already has previous success against Arsenal, too.
Back in the 2019/20 Europa League group stages, he scored twice at the Emirates Stadium for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-1 win, displaying excellent close control for his first goal and long-range precision for both.
Kamada has shown flashes of brilliance this season. Whilst he has struggled to lock down a spot in the starting lineup, with 1701 minutes played in total, the equivalent of 18 full 90-minute games, his quality has been showcased.
With the history he has away against the Gunners, the technical ability he possesses and the fact he is a goal threat, Kamada could have a huge impact as Palace look to build momentum before their FA Cup semi-final next week.
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