Ayew: Selhurst Park should be our fortress

The Eagles take on Arsenal at Selhurst Park on Monday night after starting the campaign with an impressive display and result on the opening day of the season, beating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Ayew is aware that Palace are up against a top-level opponent in Arsenal, who led the Premier League table for much of last season – but feels Palace’s own ambitions offer them plenty of motivation when it comes to taking on the Gunners.

The forward confirmed: “At home, with our supporters and with players who have our quality, it’s normal that we put teams under pressure and make it hard for teams.

“A team like Crystal Palace have to make it difficult for every team, and at home especially, it should be our fortress, with the twelfth man that we have – our supporters.

“That’s what we try to do, and we’ll do it again on Monday. We want to have a great season, and that starts from winning games at home.”

Entering his sixth season as a Crystal Palace player, Ayew is well aware of the influence that a raucous Selhurst Park can have on the outcome of matches.

He noted: “It’ll be a really good feeling to be back at home in front of our fans, with a really good atmosphere.

“Since I’ve been at this football club, I’ve never seen them have one game where there’s no atmosphere – every game it’s the same. They are going to back us – and we have to do the rest.”