Alexis Sanchez
Cazorla and Sanchez have been in superb form for Arsenal this season. Getty Images

Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday to mark the opening of a harrowing set of fixtures with the Gunners poised to restart their campaign in the Champions League against Monaco in midweek.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC Match of the Day from 10.25pm GMT on BBC One.

Overview

Crystal Palace have found their form under new manager Alan Pardew, winning five of their last eight Premier League games since his appointment.

This run includes a win over Tottenham in the beginning of January at Selhurst Park where they have been a force to reckon with. They come into the game on the back of a 2-1 loss to Liverpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Fraizer Campbell scored the opener for Palace, but the Reds showed great determination to strike back and reverse the initiative and book a place in the quarter finals against Blackburn Rovers. Palace tried their level best to breach the Liverpool defence, but a composed performance from the Merseysiders saw them through.

Yaya Sanogo is ineligible for the game but the Gunners have to content against Marouane Chamakh who has a point to prove against their former club.

Meanwhile the Gunners are currently fifth in the league, two points behind Manchester United and one behind Southampton, who host Liverpool at St Mary's on Sunday. It is a brilliant opportunity for the Gunners to take the lead on the high flying Saints and seal their position in the top four.

The Gunners will be hoping to put in a better performance than what they managed at home against Palace in the reverse fixture, when they had to wait till the last minute to scrape away with three crucial points.

Alexis Sanchez is fit for the game while Jack Wilshere is also likely to make the bench, having returned to full training the week before.

What Managers Say

Alan Pardew: "I think he's [Marouane Chamakh] grown in confidence and sometimes only games can do that for you. You know he was in and out at Arsenal, it's a difficult club to break through. I had a player at Southampton in [Alex Oxlade] Chamberlain and, unfortunately, he's suffered with injuries. It's difficult to get a run with so many great players. For players like Cham, sometimes it's best to move away and find yourself and he has found himself and he's an asset to us."

Arsene Wenger: "It's always very intense and it is a very dynamic ground. It's a bit like Highbury as an old-fashioned stadium with a soul and it has a crowd that is always behind their team. We expect a passionate afternoon. Alan Pardew has done extremely well. They have found confidence again and they made positive results and that is what it is about when you are a manager."

Betting Odds (By 888Sport)

Crystal Palace Win: 62/17

Draw: 27/10

Arsenal Win: 4/5

Team News

Crystal Palace

Possible XI: Speroni; Ward, Hangeland, Dann, Souare; Puncheon, McArthur, Ledley, Bolasie; Chamakh, Campbell

Arsenal

Possible XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck; Giroud

Arsenal FC