Crystal Palace vs Arsenal preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Both teams to score

• Arsenal to win

• Viktor Gyokeres anytime goalscorer

Crystal Palace will face the newly crowned champions on the final day of the season in a game with nothing riding on it.

Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League winners on Tuesday and Palace have already secured their status in the league for next year.

Crystal Palace are without a win in their last three league games, but with safety assured, the Eagles have probably had one eye on their upcoming Conference League final, which takes place three days after their final league game of the season against Arsenal.

However, the Eagles haven’t lost in the top flight at Selhurst Park since February (W2, D3).

Arsenal’s 22-year wait for the Premier League title finally ended on Tuesday when Bournemouth held nearest challengers Manchester City to a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal fans can enjoy a pressure-free final league outing of the campaign, where they’ll receive the Premier League trophy. 

Mikel Arteta’s men will be keen to keep their momentum going, though, ahead of next weekend’s Champions League final against PSG, where the Gunners will look to complete a famous double. 

Four league wins in a row without conceding seemingly stand them in good stead, and extending that by just one more game here would see them match their own 1970/71 record of 30 wins without conceding in one season across all competitions.

Arsenal have lost just two of their 16 Premier League away games to Crystal Palace (W10 D4), winning the last three by an aggregate score of 8-1.

Crystal Palace have lost six of their last seven Premier League matches to Arsenal, with the exception being a 2-2 draw at the Emirates last season.

This is the second time Crystal Palace are facing the champions after the title has been confirmed, drawing 1-1 with the Eagles at Anfield on the final day last season.

As a top-flight side, Crystal Palace have never lost on the final day of the season at home (W8 D4), most recently beating Aston Villa 5-0 on the final day of the 2023/24 season.

Crystal Palace Premier League form: 🟧🟥🟥🟧🟥🟧

Arsenal Premier League form: 🟥🟥🟩🟩🟩🟩

Palace lost Chadi Riad and Chris Richards to injuries against Brentford, and Oliver Glasner has confirmed that the latter will miss the champions’ visit and will need a late assessment ahead of next Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League Final.

Glasner also made it clear he has no intention of resting key players against Arsenal despite the Conference League final looming just days later and intends to field his strongest XI.

Ben White and Jurrien Timber remain out for the Gunners. 

The former will miss the last two matches – and the World Cup – but Timber is in line to return for the Champions League final.

David Raya should recover from a slight injury worry to start in goal, chasing a 20th clean sheet of the season. 

Arteta has used games like this to rest Declan Rice at points in the season, and this could be another moment for him to start on the bench. 

The same goes for Martin Odegaard, who has struggled with injuries this season. Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard will be among those hoping to make an impact.

Crystal Palace: Henderson; Canvot, Lacroix, Sosa; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Mateta

Arsenal: Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Odegaard, Eze; Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres

The celebrations may have run into the early hours after Arsenal’s Premier League win was confirmed in midweek, but they can end the domestic season with a win over what could be a distracted Crystal Palace side.

The Eagles have nothing to play for in the league and their UEFA Conference League final to prioritise.

With the title challenge over and the danger of a potential fallout from naming an understrength side over with it, Oliver Glasner is unlikely to push his men too hard on Sunday.

However, the hosts have not lost a home game since February and Arsenal also have a European final to bear in mind, so a blowout for the newly crowned champions is unlikely.

Correct score prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal