Ladbrokes Festive Countdown Day 23 - Jesus back with a bang

• Arsenal play Crystal Palace in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup later on today, with rotated teams expected for both sides.

• Gabriel Jesus will likely start for Arsenal, with the striker getting back to full fitness after suffering a serious knee injury earlier on in the year.

• The Brazilian scored two goals when the two sides met in December 2024, and Ladbrokes' Festive Countdown day 23 tip is for him to find the back of the net again here.

Gabriel Jesus is back for Arsenal, so for day 23 of the Festive Countdown, Ladbrokes is tipping him to score against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup later on today.

Gabriel Jesus has looked sharps in the little cameos he's had for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League since returning from injury, but he's yet to find the back of the net for the Gunners.

In fact, Jesus' last goal came on New Year's Day 2025, when he netted in Arsenal's away win at Brentford. He'll be aiming to find the back of the net here to end the year as he means to start 2026.

Jesus' serious knee injury was suffered in January 2025, and it came just a few weeks after the Brazilian stole the show for Arsenal in their 5-1 win away at Crystal Palace on December 21, 2024.

The ex-Man City man clearly loves playing against Crystal Palace, having scored two the last time he played against Oliver Glasner's men, so expect him to be heavily involved here.

In his limited Premier League minutes, Jesus is averaging one shot a game, with 0.5 of those going on target. However, those have all come in substitute appearances, rather than starts for the number nine.

There's no guarantee that Jesus starts the game, never mind scores a goal, but all signs do point towards the Arsenal man being heavily involved for his side later on today.

From a Palace perspective, Glasner's players are absolutely shattered at the moment, and that isn't too surprising considering they've been asked to play three times in three competitions between Thursday last week and Tuesday this week.

The fatigue was on full display on Saturday evening, when Palace lost 4-1 to relegation candidates Leeds in the Premier League, with the game coming just 48 hours after their Europa Conference League match.

Palace's fixtures aren't stopping there, and Glasner lacks the strength in depth that Mikel Arteta has at his disposal. We're expecting Arsenal to have a lot of the ball here, and chances to fall at Jesus' feet.

It's by no means a guarantee, but backing Jesus to score in Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, with odds of 2/1, could end up being worth a little punt.

Ladbrokes Festive Countdown History

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 1 - Aaron Ramsdale to feature in England's 2026 World Cup squad.

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 2 - Fulham to draw in their match with Manchester City.

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 3 - Arsenal to win a quadruple this season

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 4 - Man United to win their next two games

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 5 - Lando Norris to win the F1 World Championship

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 6 - Hugo Ekitike to score for Liverpool vs Leeds

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 7 - Angry Ginge to win I'm a Celebrity 2025

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 8 - Karen Carney to win Strictly Come Dancing 2025

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 9 - Dominik Szoboszlai to register a shot on target vs Inter Milan

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 10 - Manchester City to beat Real Madrid

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 11 - Donyell Malen to score for Aston Villa vs Basel

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 12 - Sheffield United to win or draw against West Brom

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 13 - Mohamed Salah to have two shots on target vs Brighton

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 14 - Two cards for each team in Sunderland vs Newcastle

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 15 - Bruno Fernandes to commit a foul, take two shots and make one tackle vs Bournemouth

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 16 - Estevao to have two shots on target vs Cardiff

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 17 - Newcastle to beat Fulham in the Carabao Cup

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 18 - Eddie Nketiah to have two shots on target vs KuPS

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 19 - Wrexham to win or draw against Swansea

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 20 - Chelsea to beat Newcastle and both teams to score

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 21 - Man United to beat or draw with Aston Villa and both teams to score

• Ladbrokes Festive Countdown - Day 22 - Harry Wilson to register a shot on target vs Nottingham Forest

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