Oleksandr Zinchenko explains why he expects ‘tough’ game for Arsenal vs Palace

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It is still unclear if Oleksandr Zinchenko will be fit to return for Arsenal against Crystal Palace today, but he has now opened up on the challenge his side will face.

Zinchenko missed the defeats to Fulham and Liverpool with injury, and Mikel Arteta refused to confirm if he would return against Roy Hodgson’s side.

Arsenal struggled for results before the mid-season break, but will be taking on a Crystal Palace side in even worse form, and the Gunners will need to win this game to bounce back from their malaise and resume their hunt for the Premier League title.

Zinchenko wary of Crystal Palace threat against Arsenal

Speaking via club media, Zinchenko called out to his teammates to bounce back from their dip in form and to deliver a strong performance.

“When things don’t work for you, sometimes you just need to work even harder,” he stated.

“This is the key and this is what I believe. Every single time we don’t have success or are losing, we need to show the right reaction. We need to show our best performance because this league is so tough.

“It’s going to be a tough game because this team are strong defensively. We know we need to react well and right after recent games so I hope, with our crowd and best performance of each player, we can have success.”

Arsenal have missed Zinchenko in recent defeats

Although Zinchenko was far from his best in recent weeks prior to his injury, the games against Fulham and Liverpool showed how much Arsenal missed him when he was absent.

Jakub Kiwior tried and failed to replicate his inverted left-back role against Fulham, and the centre-back played wider against Liverpool, but his inferior ability on the ball stood out.

With Michael Olise set to be missing for Crystal Palace, Zinchenko would be perfect for the game without their main threat on the right. What he lacks in defensive strength, he makes up for in possession, and at home against a struggling side, Arsenal are expected to dominate the ball.

Arsenal will hope to have Zinchenko back soon. With Takehiro Tomiyasu away at the Asia Cup, they are desperately lacking in defensive depth, and one more injury at the back would represent a disaster.

However, it does not appear that Arsenal will be bringing in a defender in the January window, and Arteta will have to make do with his current options.