How to watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace for free - Live stream, TV channel and kick-off time

Arsenal host Crystal Palace in the League Cup, with Mikel Arteta's side looking to clinch their fourth win on the bounce

Arsenal are aiming to secure a spot in the League Cup semi-final for the second consecutive season as they face off against Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals. The Gunners come into the contest riding a wave of momentum after claiming back-to-back-to-back wins against Everton, Wolves and Club Brugge.

Mikel Arteta's side also got the better of Palace in October's Premier League encounter, edging a tight 1-0 result thanks to a goal from ex-Eagles favourite Eberechi Eze. Coincidentally, they faced Palace at the same stage of the competition last year, sealing a 3-2 win back in December 2024.

By contrast, things have looked far less positive for Palace in recent weeks. The south Londoners have let in nine goals over their last three fixtures, being well beaten by Manchester City and Leeds, before settling for an underwhelming draw against KuPS to complete a difficult run.

Here, football.london breaks down all the essential information ahead of that clash...

When is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace?

The League Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Crystal Palace takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, December 23, with kick-off set for 8pm UK time.

How can I watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace for free?

Viewers in the UK can follow the match live on ITV1, which is free to access. The fixture will also be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, although those channels require a Sky Sports subscription.

ITVX will offer a free live stream, giving supporters the chance to watch the game online at no cost.

Arsenal team news

Arsenal are currently missing Max Dowman (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh), Kai Havertz (knee), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) and Ben White (hamstring).

Changes to the starting line-up are expected, with Declan Rice - who has rarely been absent this season - tipped to be given a breather. Gabriel Jesus could start as the central striker ahead of Viktor Gyokeres, while a number of academy prospects are likely to be involved.

Crystal Palace team news

Crystal Palace remain without Ismaila Sarr due to his Africa Cup of Nations involvement, while Daniel Munoz and Daichi Kamada are also unavailable because of knee and thigh injuries.

In addition, Rio Cardines (muscle), Cheick Doucoure (knee), Caleb Kporha (back) and Chadi Riad (knee) are sidelined. Jean-Philippe Mateta is another player to watch, with Palace set to carefully manage his minutes as he works his way back from a knee problem.

Head to head

Recent history strongly favours Arsenal, who have won seven of the last eight meetings with Crystal Palace, including a dramatic 3-2 win in last season's League Cup quarter-final.

There have also been a number of one-sided scorelines in recent seasons, such as a 5-1 victory in December 2024, a 5-0 win in January 2024 and a 4-1 result in March 2023.

Palace's last success against Arsenal came in April 2022, when they recorded a 3-0 victory. Overall, the Eagles have secured just two wins from their last 15 encounters with the north London club.