Arsenal finally get back to Premier League football on Monday night with a trip to face Patrick Vieira and his impressive Crystal Palace side as the Gunners look to reclaim fourth spot.
A 5-1 win for Tottenham against Newcastle saw them leapfrog their local rivals but Mikel Arteta's side have been in impressive form. A win away to Aston Villa before the international break saw them spend the last two weeks in fourth place and with a game in hand over Spurs, they retain an advantage in the race.
But Palace will be no pushovers. Having held the Gunners to a draw at the Emirates and recently held Manchester City to a draw, pundits have predicted a tough night for Arteta's men.
Paul Merson - Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
"I’ve predicted wins for Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham, so Arsenal have to win this one to be on track for a place in the Premier League top four," Merson told Sportskeeda.
"Palace have a big game against Chelsea in the FA Cup to look forward to a little later in the month and the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise are injured, so they probably won’t be risked for this one.
"Arsenal got a massive result against Aston Villa after losing to Liverpool and will do well with another win here. This is a big game with a lot of pressure, but I think Mikel Arteta and co will get all three points."
Michael Owen - Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal
"It’s been such a good season for Palace, and Vieira must be one of the managers of the season," Owen wrote in his BetVictor blog. "They followed up that draw with City by cruising past Everton and sealing their spot at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-finals. The whole club must be buzzing.
"Fourth spot is still in Arsenal’s hands, but they can’t afford any dropped points. I don’t think they’ve been playing at their best in the last couple of weeks, but the results have been good.
"I can see Palace making a real game of this. They drew at the Emirates earlier this season and with the Selhurst crowd behind them, I can see another draw here. 1-1."
Mark Lawrenson - Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal
"Arsenal have found a bit of steel that has got them through some tight games, especially away from home," Lawrenson said in his BBC Sport predictions. "And they will need more of the same here because Crystal Palace are playing well at the moment.
"I love the way the Eagles play under Vieira - they are very structured, but in a fluid way, and their attacks come from either side with lots of width. They will cause the Gunners lots of problems but Mikel Arteta's side are dangerous too. This should be a really good game and a very close one as well."
