Ben White tries to slide it through Palace's defence for Bukayo Saka but it's too heavy and rolls out for a goal kick.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport at Emirates Stadium

Arsenal are looking to get their league form back on track and for Palace they’re trying to get some breathing space between themselves and the relegation places.

Image source, BBC Sport

Off we go at the Emirates.

MattyAFC: You have to feel that the break came at a vital time for us. End the poor run of form today and hopefully return with back-to-back wins against Palace and Forest to make Liverpool's visit really tasty. Arsenal's season restarts today!

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Havertz, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard.

Image source, .

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Lerma, Richards, Eze, Hughes, Mateta, Schlupp.

Image source, .

Alan Shearer
Former England and Newcastle striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Arsenal need a prolific goalscorer.

The amount of chances they have been creating without scoring is incredible, the number of times they have chosen not to shoot when the chance has been available to take.

Gabriel Jesus is back today but he is not a natural goalscorer. He won't be prolific for you, his numbers tell you that. He is a very good player but not a goalscorer.

Mark Warburton
Former Brentford boss on BBC Radio 5 Live

For me Palace are going to come and counter attack here today. They have pace and threat on the break with the likes of Eze, and Arsenal will be aware of Andersen's range of passing from deep.

But it will all be about Arsenal and their attacking threat and the ability to get goals. The quality of their players is clear for all to see but they have not been getting the rewards of late.

Yes Palace will always pose a threat but this should be a dominant Arsenal performance.

Leandro Trossard has been directly involved in 10 goals in his previous 13 starts at the Emirates, scoring three goals and providing seven assists.

Arsenal have won 72% of the games in which both Trossard and Bukayo Saka have started together (W13 D1 L4), netting an average of 2.3 goals per game.

Alan Shearer
Former England and Newcastle striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Am I being mischievious or is it often the case where managers out of work suddenly turn up at games where another manager is under pressure? [Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been spotted in the stands at the Emirates this afternoon].

But that's football isn't it? You have to win games or you will come under pressure, and other managers will be linked left, right and centre. You have to get results or you know what happens.

Both Arsenal and Palace need results for different reasons.

Image source, Getty Images

Bukayo Saka is Arsenal's leading Premier League scorer with six goals this campaign.

It is the lowest tally by the club's leading scorer after 20 matches of a league season since four players were on five goals in 1989-90.

But Saka has scored six goals and assisted nine in 18 Premier League London derbies.

Three of those goal involvements came in Arsenal's 4-1 home win against Palace last season.

Mark Warburton
Former Brentford boss on BBC Radio 5 Live

The pressure is on for both sides here today.

For Palace they will know Brentford and Nottingham Forest face off in West London later this evening, and Arsenal come back after a mini slump of sorts having had a mini break, will hope to deliver a performance.

As always, it is all about goals.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp dicussed Al-Ittihad forward Karim Benzema and his links to Arsenal and Chelsea in the January window on the Transfer Gossip Daily podcast.

Redknapp said: "It's a gamble and it's short term. Could you take him to Arsenal to the end of the season? He isn't going to come to the end of the season probably. But you know, he might come in and might get the goals that could push them up and win a title for them.

"If it was just money, he would just stay there and take the money, wouldn't he? He must want to play somewhere, you know, so now if he comes here, someone's going to have to, they'll probably have to subsidise his wages as you say."

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson hopes the club can push to secure a loan move for Kalvin Phillips.

Phillips is yet to start a Premier League game for champions Manchester City this season and is thought to be a target for several clubs in January.

Hodgson said: "He's a good player. I would like to think that if Kalvin Phillips is available and a possibility for the club - once again, there will be financial restrictions, who knows whether the club feels they will be able to afford that - but if you're talking about the level of player, I don't feel there will be many managers who would not say 'yeah, we will be really happy to have him come to the club'.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a name that's out there. All we know, like most other clubs, is that there is a possibility that Manchester City will either sell him or loan him.

"If they are purely going to sell him, then I don't think we will be in the market. If they're going to loan him, I would like to think that we could possibly put our hand up and push ourselves forward.

"What we could then of course offer is the chance to play regular football in the Premier League in the build-up to what will be a very important summer for England and for him.

"We might not be the only club in that position, so at the end of the day, a lot will have to happen before we find out where Kalvin Phillips is going to end up if he's going to go anywhere."

CM: So help me Arteta.... if I don't see Smith Rowe play by 60 minutes today...

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports on return after winter break: "We recharged, re-energised and have been very clear with each other what to expect, and then attack the second half of the season."

On facing Palace: "We have to earn the right to win. This is a team that is well organised. We are ready."

On Jesus and Zinchenko's return: "They are both available and training the last few days. They feel good."

On scoring goals in the league: "The margins are so small in the Premier League, it is the hardest thing in football but I believe a lot in my players."

Image source, BBC Sport

Because of last season, there is actually more pressure on Arsenal now to be up in the top three. And, if you give Mikel Arteta the choice, then he would rather be on top at this current moment.

However, they just need to stay with it as they have had a mixed run of results.

Where are they going to end up? That is the difficult thing to project. Everyone is looking at them, wondering what is next and how they are going to keep improving.

They have to start getting some results again to keep the pressure on Liverpool, especially when you already expect Manchester City to turn that corner.

Will they go to the market and strengthen by signing a number nine?

They are not wasting money if the right deal is there. If they are looking at Dominic Solanke or Ivan Toney and the money is right, then go and do it. That would be a huge push for them then towards the title.

They could do with somebody.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson, speaking to TNT Sports: "We are looking forward to getting back to it, you should always look forward to coming to Arsenal.

"Our job today is to focus on the task at hand, we know what problems Arsenal can cause us and we have to be aware and combat that.

"We won't have much of the ball but when we do have it we have to make sure we do something with it. We have to ask them questions in the same way they will ask plenty of us."

On line-up today: "We have been playing Chris Richards in midfield but he is really a centre-back. This was more of a question of trying to use the players available for this game and put them in a formation that suits them."

On Eberechi Eze making his 100th Premier League appearance for Palace: "I have enjoyed it enormously [having him in his side]. We have had nowhere near as much of him on the pitch this season than we'd have liked because of injuries. I think that is over now. He is such an important cog in our wheel and we really need him firing on all cylinders because he will be the one to help us if we do cause Arsenal problems."

Image source, BBC Sport

Could Arsenal turn to their Hale End academy to help them freshen things up on a limited budget this month?

Among the academy prospects, players like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri stand out, though their age is a considerable factor, as they are still teenagers.

However, the possibility of these players making a breakthrough similar to Bukayo Saka is an exciting prospect. Albeit a rare occurrence, Saka's success story proves that, with the right opportunities and environment, young talents can indeed excel at the highest level when trusted. After all, such strategy aligns with the club's values.

An alternative perspective considers the financial benefits of promoting youth players and subsequently allowing the sale of fringe players.

Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Mohammed Elneny, and Cedric Soares have played just 217 Premier League minutes between them this season. Could Arsenal allow the likes of Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, and Reuell Walters to step into these minutes and use the funds from selling those players to bring in one or two top-quality additions.

This strategy could be particularly beneficial given the limited transfer budget available, enabling the club to rejuvenate and strengthen the team in a cost-effective way.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport reporter

Crystal Palace left-back Tayo Adaramola is getting closer to completing a loan move to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek.

Molenbeek are owned by Palace co-owner John Textor.

Adaramola has been on loan once before but his time at Coventry was cut short after just one appearance in the 2022-23 season.

The 20-year-old was on the bench for Roy Hodgson's side as they lost their FA Cup third round replay to Everton on Wednesday night.