EFL Cup 2025-26 Quarter Final – Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Predictions

The English Football League has featured several teams from the Premier League, Europa League-qualified teams, and Champions League participants. Currently, the EFL cup is in the Knockout stage with the quarter-finals, where Arsenal and Crystal Palace will clash. Starting from the preliminary round, this EFL Cup has been constantly filtering out teams in the tournament. Newcastle and Manchester City qualified for the semi-final, which was played over two legs. Now, we have one more match to decide the other set of semi-final draws—Arsenal vs Crystal Palace. This clash will be held on 23 December 2025 at the Emirates Stadium, giving Arsenal a home advantage. For the upcoming quarter-final, we have broken down teams and their dynamics, implying the possible outcomes. You can get more EFL Cup updates like this from Bettingpremier. We also give every major football league’s predictions; follow up with us to get them.

EFL Cup Early Games

Teams from every prestigious English football league have participated in the highly anticipated EFL Cup. Like every season, this season is also dominated by Premier League clubs. Right from the start, there were about 70 teams competing for the knockout entry. In the second round, 35 teams were filtered out, and the remaining teams were added from the Premier League division. Notably, several giant-killings happened in the second round. Manchester United lost to Grimsby Town in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw. Grimsby Town were the ones to take the lead in the first half, while Manchester United gave a late comeback. Similarly, Huddersfield won against Premier League team Sunderland in the EFL Cup second round. In parallel, several Premier League teams were eliminating lower-division clubs. Fulham eliminated Bristol City, and Everton beat Manfield Town; both were 2-0 outcomes. If you like to get more football breakdowns, click here.

Quarter Finals – A Knockout Stage

Cardiff City vs Chelsea

Cardiff City is the only non-Premier League club that qualified for the quarter-finals. However, they lost to Chelsea in the EFL Cup draw, despite getting a home advantage. Both teams were struggling to score in the first half, where every shot went miserably wrong. Chelsea had most of the possession in the game, and they made more shots than Cardiff City. Eventually, in the second half, Chelsea scored the first goal from Alejandro Garnacho’s 57th-minute goal. But Cardiff City equalized in the 75^th minute. After that, Chelsea bagged two more goals, one by Alejandro Garnacho again, winning over Cardiff City.

Newcastle vs Fulham

Newcastle fought Fulham at home, where they scored twice. They scored the first goal in the tenth minute and started their offensive dominance. But Fulham quickly retaliated in the 16^th minute with Saša Lukić’s goal. Newcastle had the possession for the majority of the game and made a higher number of shots. The game was so close for the entire 90 minutes, and Newcastle scored the decisive goal in the extra time. Fulham received a yellow card for Saša Lukić’s foul, but Newcastle failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Consequently, Newcastle qualified for the semi-final against Manchester City on 13 January 2025.

Manchester City vs Brentford

Manchester City played against Brentford at Etihad Stadium and won a clean sheet victory. Rayan Cherki scored a goal in the 32^nd minute. After several substitutions, Savinho scored in the 67^th minute. That day, Haaland was not in the squad, but City still managed to earn a clean sheet win. Besides, Phil Foden’s game remained crucial, and their midfield dominance contained Brentford from scoring. Their passing and ball movement were rapid-paced, which never gave Brentford chances.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – Recent Head-to-Head Records Ahead of EFL Cup Quarter Final

Arsenal majorly dominated in the most recent head-to-head meetings, with 11 wins out of 20 last matchups. Crystal Palace won only in three of them, with six games ending in a draw.

Even in games where Arsenal lost, they have registered the bare minimum scores. This shows the stronger side of Arsenal against Crystal Palace.

In overall scoring, Arsenal has the upper hand with their 62 goals over 30 total meetings across all formats.

Above all, Arsenal has historically been strong even in away games against Crystal Palace. So, they have an edge in the upcoming EFL Cup game.

EFL Cup Quarter Final Prediction

Arsenal’s Records

Crystal Palace’s Records

Arsenal’s Team Form and Dynamics

Arsenal is in excellent form, which outpowers literally every English club and European team. They rank first in the Premier League 2025-26 season with a 12-3-2 record. In addition, they also lead the UEFA Champions League current season with a perfect 6-0-0 record, being unbeatable. Top strikers like Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyökeres, and Eberechi Eze are potent enough to contain their opponents. They have scored an average of 2.2 goals per game over their last ten games. Defensively, they have allowed only eight goals across all formats in their last ten games. This greatly summarizes their current form for the upcoming EFL Cup clash.

Injury Lists

Ben White is on the injured list as he recently suffered a hamstring strain. He is not in the lineup for the upcoming EFL Cup matchup, therefore. Gabriel Magalhães is out for a few games due to a muscle injury in a recent friendly game. In addition, Kai Havertz is also on the injury list, which he had during the season’s opening games. His recovery is extended further.

Crystal Palace’s Team Form and Dynamics

Crystal Palace is currently in 8^th place with seven wins, five draws, and five losses. Their scoring form is solid, with at least one goal per game. But they lack the defensive solidity as they have conceded about 19 goals across 17 league games. Their last two games were not so good, and they have declined a bit. Comparatively, Arsenal’s attacking efficiency is superior and is faster in ball movement. This directly contrasts with Crystal Palace’s poor coordination. In their previous game against Leeds United, Crystal Palace’s ball movement and blocking were extremely poor. They fail to block shots and concede more often.

Injury Lists

Daichi Kamada is sidelined due to sustained injuries in the thigh. He is advised to stay rested for a few more weeks and is not expected to be in this EFL Cup draw. Daniel Muñoz Mejíais out of the game as he got a knee injury. Lastly, Chadi Riad Dnanou is on the training sessions without a known return date. His return remains uncertain.

Verdict

Arsenal will win in this EFL Cup game.