Arsene Wenger will renew his rivalry with Sam Allardyce when Arsenal take on Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Although Wenger has started to warm up to Allardyce, Big Sam has always said he takes the most delight in beating Arsenal and this week will be no different as the struggling Crystal Palace will look to pull off an unlikely result to kick start a resurgence.
Team news
Theo Walcott is set to miss the game after a minor calf injury put him out of the West Brom clash but Wenger will be able to call on centre back Shkodran Mustafi who has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Olivier Giroud is expected to retain his spot in the starting line up after scoring mid week in what was his first league start of the season.
Danny Welbeck is back in training and progressing well after a long term knee injury but it will be while before the striker features for Arsenal.
Damien Delaney is suspended for Crystal Palace and but James Tomkins could return to the team as well as midfielders James McArthur and Joe Ledley.
Palace fans will be happy to hear that Loic Remy is back in training and after playing in a few reserves matches could make his return to the first team.
Arsenal December woes
Arsenal have gained a reputation in recent years of starting the season strong and then having a poor December/ January period which has previously derailed their title hopes.
This season the Gunners started December with a 4-1 win over Stoke before sliding to two consecutive 2-1 defeats against Everton and Manchester City
They relied on a late Giroud header to beat West Bromwich Albion in midweek meaning they took six points out of aa possible 12 for the month.
A win will be a great start to the year but a draw or loss could mean dropping to fifth below arch rivals Tottenham Hotspurs who play before them with just one point seperating the two teams
Palace just coming up short
Whilst Crystal Palace sit at a lowly 17th on the table, a look at recent results shows that they are not far off the results they want.
December has seen them draw 3-3 with Hull City before going down to Manchester United and Chelsea, both by just one goal.
They played out to a frustrating 1-1 draw against Watford on Monday but there is a definite improvement in the performances and Allardyces men could prove a tough team to crack.
Kick off at the Emirates is 16:00 local time on New Years Day.