Crystal Palace

Were you at Selhurst Park or following the match from home?

Either way, you can now have your say on the game here

Alex Bysouth, BBC Sport

Crystal Palace have endured a disrupted pre-season for a number of reasons and Patrick Vieira is still hoping to get more players in before the transfer window closes, but his side's performance for most of this fixture will certainly give them something to build on.

The Eagles struggled to get to grips with Arsenal at first, but once they did had two glorious chances of their own to pull level, with Aaron Ramsdale denying Odsonne Edouard and then Eberechi Eze either side of the break.

"Those chances we didn't take cost us the game - in a really important time in the game," said Vieira.

"The one from Eze in the second half, we expect him to put it in the back of the back of the net, because we were all over them. If you score that, with the fans behind, the game will be different."

It is only the second time Palace have conceded more than once at home under Vieira while they historically struggle on the opening day, winning their opening league match in only five of their 23 top-flight seasons, and Vieira will still remain confident they can improve on last season's 12th place.

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says Christian Benteke played a "crucial role" in the club's Premier League journey after the striker left for DC United.

Beneteke has linked up with new DC United head coach Wayne Rooney on a permanent deal after scoring 37 times in 177 games for the Eagles.

“Christian has played a crucial role in this club’s Premier League journey, making an immediate impact after signing and playing a central role in the squad ever since," said Parish.

"He’s someone I’ve enjoyed a great relationship with and he’s shown incredible loyalty staying with the club when he could easily have taken other options. We all wish him all the very best with the next stage of his career.”

A new season - and a new Premier League predictions expert.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton is taking on the challenge from Mark Lawrenson for the 2022-23 campaign and will try to pick the correct scores for every top-flight game against a variety of guests - and this season you can get involved too.

Joining Sutton this week is football commentator and BBC Fantasy 606 co-host Alistair Bruce-Ball.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Arsenal have had a great pre-season, while I'm not sure Crystal Palace are the same threat now Conor Gallagher has gone back to Chelsea.

It's still a tough game for Mikel Arteta's side, but everything is pointing towards a Gunners win.

ABB's prediction: 1-1

Another tricky away fixture on a Friday night for Arsenal to kick off the season. Last year they crumbled at Brentford, but they are made of sterner stuff now - certainly helped by the additions of Premier League winners Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.

Find out how Sutton and Bruce-Ball think the rest of the weekend's action will go and vote on the result you expect here

Image source, Getty Images/Rex Features

Crystal Palace midfielders Michael Olise and James McArthur are out with respective foot and groin injuries.

Defender James Tomkins has a muscle issue, while goalkeepers Jack Butland and Sam Johnstone are also sidelined.

Arsenal are likely to be without midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who is struggling with a groin issue.

Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Fabio Vieira are all recovering from injuries, with Mikel Arteta saying "most of them" will be available.

Defender William Saliba is in line for a first start in an Arsenal shirt, while former Manchester City players Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko should also make their debuts.

Who do you think Vieira will go with? Predict the Palace XI here

How many new signings will Arteta start? Predict the Gunners line-up

Crystal Palace: Jay Crame, The Eagles Beak, external

Arsenal will still be regretting not spending the money to sign Wilfried Zaha a few seasons back. Instead, they opted for a repayment plan option - like they have so often done - and brought in Nicolas Pepe for a club record fee of £72m, when all instalments have been settled, unless he is sold before that happens.

Since then, Zaha v Pepe has been the comparison for Arsenal fans in a desperate bid to prove they made the right choice. Of course, the Ivorian has had a few successes, but it's nowhere near as many as the Gunners would have had if they had signed his compatriot, the proven Zaha.

Their hesitancy has been Palace's gain. Zaha heads into the new campaign off the back of a 14-goal Premier League season - his best yet and impressive for a player who does not always play as a central striker.

Step forward the next challenger: Gabriel Jesus. He certainly has pedigree, and is likely to be a much worthier competitor - but that does depend on Arsenal playing to his strengths.

The pressure is on the former Manchester City man as the main striker. Zaha has none of that so, of course, we will back Wilf.

Arsenal: Charlene Smith, AFTV, external

This isn't even a question.

Jesus will 100% score more goals than Zaha. Our new number nine is a clinical striker who has played consistently in the Champions League and has been coached by Guardiola. It's fair to say that he did not get the minutes he deserved at Manchester City, but he is now at a big club with a fanbase that love and support him.

At Arsenal it will be completely different than at City. He is our main man, he will get minutes and score goals. I reckon he will be in contention for the Golden Boot this season.

Zaha is a great player, Palace's talisman, and I mean no disrespect to him - he is a player that I like. But the project at Arsenal is going to bring the best out of our players and Zaha will not be hitting those heights.

Pre-season has been a little taster of what to expect from Arsenal. I am confident that Jesus will get more goals than Zaha this season, starting with the opening Premier League game on Friday!

Who’s bigger – Newcastle or Nottingham Forest? Check out the rest of this weekend’s debates here

Image source, Getty Images / Rex Features

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Vieira is concerned the first game of the season may come slightly too soon for his Crystal Palace squad.

The Eagles host Arsenal in the season opener at Selhurst Park on Friday evening but, after a number of players missed the pre-season tour of Australia due to fitness issues, Vieira is conscious that his side might look slightly under-prepared.

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” he said. “We didn’t have the best preparation.

“The game tomorrow will tell us a lot about where we are and which parts of games we still need to improve.”

Palace have made four signings this summer but lost influential midfielder Conor Gallagher, who returned to his parent club Chelsea at the end of last season.

“As a manager you always want more but so far I've been really happy with the players we’ve brought in,” he said.

“We’re short on numbers but we have a couple of weeks before the end of the market.”

Alex Howell, BBC Sport

Manager Patrick Vieira has been speaking to the media before the opening game of the Premier League season. Crystal Palace and Arsenal kick off the campaign on Friday, with Vieira admitting his side's pre-season training has been "difficult" because the team were split into two groups.

Here's what else he said in the news conference:

• On the team being split and if they're ready for the first game: "We’ll find out tomorrow. We didn't have the best preparation, but the last couple days the players have been working well. The game tomorrow will tell us a lot about where we are and which parts of games we still need to improve."

• James McArthur, James Tomkins and Michael Olise are all ruled out against the Gunners, though Vieira did say Olise joined back in with training on Thursday.

• On beating Arsenal last season and their new signings: "It will be a completely different game. I think with the new players they have in the squad, of course they are a better team. They had a really good game during pre-season. We know it will be challenging, but we have the tools to make it difficult for them."

• On going into his second season as manager: "There’s always confidence and belief in myself. I’m still surrounded by the same people at the club who believe in what we try to do. We know it will be challenging because it is the Premier League. Every game will be a different challenge, but what is important is to be ready for those challenges."

Follow Thursday's Premier League manager news conferences and all the transfer latest here

Alex Howell, BBC Sport football reporter

This season will be one where Patrick Vieira will be aiming to build on the good work he did in the 2021-22 campaign when the Eagles finished 12th on 48 points.

That return is impressive if you take into account that Vieira was taking over from Roy Hodgson, inheriting an aging squad, whilst bedding in a number of new players and a new playing style, all while dealing with the pressure of his first Premier League job.

The squad spent a portion of pre-season split into two groups because some players didn’t meet the entry requirements for Singapore and Australia on their pre-season tour, while others missed out for fitness reasons. That has meant that Vieira has had just over two weeks to work with the full group of players before taking on Arsenal on Friday night. It will be interesting to see if this has an effect on how the team do in the early parts of the season.

Vieira will have to deal with not having Conor Gallagher in his midfield this campaign but has Eberechi Eze back to full fitness and new signing Cheick Doucoure to slot into his plans. The opening game will start with a lot of questions and after that first 90 minutes the answer to the issues above should become clearer.

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport

Last season - 12th

This season's prediction - 12th

Patrick Vieira made a big impression as Selhurst Park in his first season as manager but will have to do without Conor Gallagher this term after his outstanding spell on loan from Chelsea.

He will, though, have Cheick Doucoure, the Mali midfielder who Vieira was delighted to sign from Lens in a £21m deal. Sam Johnstone is a solid goalkeeping signing.

It will be intriguing to see whether Vieira can get an improvement out of Palace but I certainly do not expect to see them struggling.

See Phil's full Premier League predictions here

• Crystal Palace have lost just one of their past eight Premier League games against Arsenal (W2 D5). The Eagles are looking to win consecutive league games against the Gunners for the first time in their history.

• Arsenal have lost their opening Premier League match in five of their past nine seasons (W4) after losing their first match in just one of their 19 campaigns prior to this run; the Gunners lost 2-0 to Brentford last term.

• Crystal Palace have won their opening top-flight league match in only five of their previous 22 seasons (D7 L10).

• Gabriel Magalhaes is the only current Arsenal player to have scored for the club in their Premier League opener, netting on his debut at Fulham in 2020-21.

Alex Pewter, CPFC Insights, external

Two summers ago, Eberechi Eze was an injection of life into an otherwise stagnant side.

But an Achilles injury curtailed his debut season, forcing him to miss much of the Vieira-led revolution.

On his return, Palace carefully monitored his minutes and only increased them gradually.

Flashes of skill were on show, but the performances weren't the focus - the task was to get him ready for 2022-23.

Most of the squad's chess pieces are set on the table and the formation is embedded.

Adding a fully healthy Eze to that mix does have the feel of being another new signing.

It can take time to regain mobility and pace after his injury, but his flick and skilful run against Montpellier, leading to Wilfried Zaha's goal, removed any remaining doubt.

More encouraging still, he could press with the intensity required of the pair of "number 8s" in midfield.

Ball carriers able to beat their marker through the middle can often outweigh the threat from a wing due to the overloads they can create.

If Eze can replicate this in the Premier League on top of his set-piece taking, will he be a vital part of the system?

Do you agree with Alex? Do you think Eze is central to Palace's success this season or does he still have to prove himself?

It's almost time! The new Premier League season kicks off with Crystal Palace hosting Arsenal on Friday.

But who's going to make Patrick Vieira's starting XI for the match against his former club?

Do new signings Sam Johnstone, Cheick Doucoure, Chris Richards and Malcolm Ebiowei go straight into the side?

Predict the Eagles' first starting line-up of the season here