Relegation-threatened Crystal Palace host Premier League top four chasers Arsenal this evening (8pm kick-off) at Selhurst Park.

Sam Allardyce’s Eagles won four games in a row prior to a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Southampton on Wednesday night, a result which leaves them just three points clear of the relegation zone going into tonight’s clash.

However, with back-to-back victories at home in the league, it is sure to be a tough evening for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, who saw Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United all win over the weekend to open up a gap in the race for Champions League qualification.

The North London outfit are sixth in the table and seven points adrift of fourth place City going into tonight’s encounter, but after beating West Ham 3-0 in midweek, they’ll be confident of beginning a run of form which could see them record a 21st consecutive top four finish come the end of the season.

Clearly, this a huge game that will have repercussions at both ends of the table, with victory for Palace taking them a step closer to safety, while victory for the visitors would put them right in the mix for a top four place.

So, with the build-up well underway ahead of tonight’s clash, we at Shoot! have identified the THREE key battles which could determine the outcome at Selhurst Park this evening…

Mamadou Sakho vs Alexis Sanchez

There’s little doubt that the loan signing of Mamadou Sakho has made a massive difference to the defensive fortunes of Crystal Palace.

The France international joined from Liverpool in January, and in the first four games he played, Allardyce’s men won all four, including a 2-1 success at Chelsea, and kept three clean sheets along the way.

Although they weren’t at their best against Southampton in midweek, Sakho has certainly strengthened their backline, but he’ll face a huge test this evening should Alexis Sanchez start upfront for Arsenal.

The 28-year-old has scored 18 goals and laid on nine assists in just 29 Premier League appearances for the Gunners this season, which means that he is behind only Everton’s Romelu Lukaku in terms of most direct contributions this season (Lukaku has scored 23 goals and laid on six assists).

The Chile international is at the heart of most good things Arsenal do, so if Sakho can keep him quiet and nullify his attacking threat, Palace could well be looking at an important result this evening.

Wilfried Zaha vs Nacho Monreal

Wilfried Zaha has been reminding us all why Manchester United paid £10 million for his services back in 2013 with a string of impressive displays in recent weeks.

In fact, the Ivory Coast international has been one of the most in-form players in the Premier League in the last month or so, with two goals and an assist in his last four games, including a scintillating performance in their 2-1 victory at Chelsea a few weeks ago.

And when he is confident and enjoying his football like he is, he is a very difficult man to defend against, which is the job Nacho Monreal will have to undertake this evening.

The Arsenal man has been Wenger’s first choice at left-back for much of the campaign, starting 26 of their 30 Premier League games, and performing reasonably well overall.

However, this will be a huge test of his defensive discipline and positioning as Zaha obviously has the pace and trickery to breeze past Monreal, something several wingers have done successfully against the Spaniard this term, but the 31-year-old is an experienced defender who will know best how to cope with the 24-year-old.

Nonetheless, this is a battle Palace will hope to win, as it’s one that could pave the way for an important victory this evening.

Christian Benteke vs Gabriel

Like Zaha, Palace teammate Christian Benteke has been in excellent form in recent weeks, netting twice and grabbing an assist in his last 180 minutes of Premier League football.

The Belgium striker has now scored 11 league goals this term, and if these two can strike up a similar partnership to what they did against Chelsea, Wenger’s men will be in for a tricky evening at Selhurst Park, especially as captain Laurent Koscielny will miss out once again.

The 31-year-old came off at half time in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend with an Achilles problem, and will not be fit to return, which means that Gabriel will likely partner Shkodran Mustafi in the heart of the Gunners defence.

Gabriel has started ten Premier League games this season and did reasonably well against West Ham in midweek, and with the aerial threat of Benteke mirroring that of Andy Carroll’s, he got a taste of what’s to come on Wednesday night, and passed it with flying colours.

However, Benteke has been in fine form recently and will be confident and difficult to defend against, so it’s integral that the Arsenal man keeps his defensively discipline and organisation to thwart the Belgian, especially at set pieces where the Gunners have been hopeless this term.