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A Tony Pulis-less Crystal Palace visit Arsenal on the Premier League's opening day.
Arsenal head into the season with a few shiny new signings and high optimism after a 3-0 demolition of reigning league champions Manchester City in the Community Shield. For their opening day opponents, Crystal Palace, things could hardly look more different. The Eagles are in disarray after the shocking resignation of Tony Pulis just a couple of days before the start of the season and take on one of the league favorites with a caretaker manager and one of the weakest squads in the league. They're in for a long, hard season.
Key player - Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal)
One of the main reasons for Arsenal's optimism is their big-money capture of Barcelona attacker Alexis Sánchez. The Chilean enjoyed an excellent World Cup, and joins the Gunners with his reputation at a career high. His pace should mean he'll adapt to the Premier League with no problems, and if he hits top form, he could well drive Arsenal to their first league title in a decade.
Key matchup - Arsenal's attack vs. Crystal Palace's compact midfield
Palace's caretaker manager, Keith Millen, almost certainly won't look to make any tactical tweaks from the system that the departed Pulis used to guide the Eagles to safety last season. That means they'll shape up in a very compact 4-4-1-1, with the two banks of four sitting tight together and denying the Gunners any room to split the defense apart. With captain Mile Jedinak marshaling the midfield, they shouldn't be easy to break down through the middle, possibly meaning the onus will be on Sánchez's skill in one-on-ones to produce chances.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: David Ospina (thigh), Theo Walcott (knee), Mesut Özil, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski (fitness). In doubt:Laurent Koscielny (achilles).
Crystal Palace injuries and suspensions
Out: Jerome Thomas (unspecified). In doubt: Damien Delaney (knock), Adrian Mariappa (rib), Jonathan Williams (thigh).
Arsenal's new goalkeeper, David Ospina, will miss out with a thigh injury, and Theo Walcott's long-term knee problem means he's still unavailable. Arsenal's World Cup-winning trio of Mesut Özil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski are all not yet ready to be thrown back into the first team action, though Laurent Koscielny should be available after an achilles problem.
Palace's only definite absentee is Jerome Thomas, though Damien Delaney, Adrian Mariappa and Jonathan Williams are all in doubt. Fortunately, none of those players are crucial first-teamers.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. local, 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBC, Mun2 (U.S.), Sportsnet (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. - English), Deportes Telemundo En Vivo (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
