Focus on Crystal Palace and not title race, says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta knows his team have to avoid defeat by Crystal Palace, otherwise Liverpool will win the Premier League title.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – The task is clear for Arsenal when they welcome Crystal Palace for their English Premier League clash on April 23 – to stop Liverpool from claiming the title, at least for now.
The Gunners are second in the table on 66 points after 33 games, 13 points behind Arne Slot’s Reds.
What this means is that if Mikel Arteta’s men lose to Palace, they will officially hand the Premier League crown to Liverpool.
A win or a draw will prolong the title race till the weekend, when Slot’s men will need just one more victory – they next host Tottenham Hotspur on April 27.
Arteta will be keen to delay the seemingly inevitable scenario of Liverpool winning the title for a while, but the Gunners also need to focus on the Champions League.
They take on French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the semi-finals at the Emirates next week.
Before that, though, they will aim to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 matches.
“Let’s take the opportunity to win a game against a side with a really good record away from home. We have to prepare well,” said Arteta on April 22.
“Our incentive is to win our game and to continue. The rest (the title race) we cannot control. I am focused on the match tomorrow.
“They are a really difficult opponent. They are impressive. To get a result like this (5-1 win at Selhurst Park in December), you have to get a lot of things right.”
Asked if he would rest players for the PSG clash, he added: “We cannot think in those terms. If the players are fit and they are ready to play, then they have to play.
“Physically they are good and emotionally they are good.”
Arsenal beat Ipswich Town 4-0 last weekend, and hope to build on that momentum against Palace.
They have won their last five Premier League fixtures against the Eagles, netting five goals in each of the last two.
Arteta’s men are the favourites as they have also lost just three of their last 36 home league matches (W26 D7).
On the injury front, Bukayo Saka should be fit, while Riccardo Calafiori is out and Jorginho will not be back for another few weeks, Arteta confirmed.
Saka was on the receiving end of a poor Leif Davis challenge against Ipswich. “We have to wait and see how he reacts after the session but he is nothing too serious. I think he will have a good chance to play tomorrow,” said Arteta.
Palace, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with Bournemouth last weekend.
There were positives for manager Oliver Glasner. It came following two away defeats in which they conceded 10 goals in total against Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Palace are safe from relegation, however, and like Arsenal, they have another competition to look forward to. The Eagles will take on Aston Villa in an FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
Arteta will be wary that Palace, who have fewer injury issues, have lost just one of their six London derbies in all competitions in 2025 – although they have already been beaten by Arsenal twice in this season’s League Cup and Premier League.
“We are in a good situation that the players are fit, and we want them to stay fit, and therefore we’re always monitoring their minutes,” said Glasner.
“We need to be physically top fit and mentally top fit to be competitive against Arsenal.
“We will make maybe two or three (changes), but it’s not because we value the Saturday game more than tomorrow’s. It’s balancing all the minutes with players who have played in the last games.”
