“That’s the real beauty of this evening,” he said in his pre-match interview. We’ve waited so long to have the fans back, and fans mean so much to a club like Crystal Palace.
“They’ve really supported us and got us where we’ve been for the last eight seasons. It’s never been an easy ride, but the fans have been a massive part of it.
“I just hope that they can enjoy watching their team play.”
It will be a night of significance for the manager and the fans, as they bid farewell to Hodgson after four years in charge.
“It’s going to very emotional,” he said. “It’s quite strange really – it’s something I’ve known about and got my head around, but since the announcement I’ve been quite blown away by the reaction. It’s taken me by surprise.”
Hodgson confirmed that Eberechi Eze missed out through injury, and reminded his side that they would have to be at the highest level to beat Arsenal.
“We did well in the last game,” he said. “You never know when you play a top quality team. Expectations of Arsenal Football Club are always incredible high.
“Just because they are not in the top four, you can be duped into thinking they are not that good, but they are very good. They certainly have the quality.”
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