Premier League: Arsenal’s Coronation at the Palace

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal

Football fans across the UK, me included, expected the Premier League title race to go down to the wire but Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are the 2026 champions, shaking off their reputation as nearly men, after finishing as runners-up for three years on the bounce.

Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Burnley last Monday was enough to see the North Londoners over the line as Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth 24 hours later. The Gunners fans are still in delirium but they’ll head south of the Thames in their hordes to celebrate with their heroes, where they will expect a guard of honour from their hosts.

Premier League: Crystal Palace vs Arsenal will be a celebration for the Gunners, but for both clubs the season is far from over. While Arsenal have made the Champions League final, Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace have had success in Europe too, reaching the Europa Conference League final on their first foray on the continent.

So there will be a buoyant mood at Selhurst Park on Sunday and I expect Arteta to make some changes, while I suspect his opposite number will give his front line stars plenty of time to ensure they stay sharp for their European final.

 

Talking Points

Glasner has an eye on Leipzig

Three days after they face Arsenal the Eagles have a Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano to look forward to, and that is quite an accolade for manager Glasner who has already delivered the 2025 FA Cup and the Community Shield. But the manager has voiced his dissatisfaction with the club’s transfer policy, selling stars such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, and a 15^th place in the Premier League is probably not too bad if the Eagles can pick up another piece of silverware.

Glasner is likely to put out a strong team against the Gunners, though he will be ready to withdraw his stars depending on the game situation. Midfield ace Adam Wharton, who was on target against the Bees, will have a huge role to play in the Conference final and I expect him to line up alongside Daichi Kamada and Tyrick Mitchell in the midfield, with a front line trio of Ismaila Sarr, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Yeremy Pino sharpening their shooting in preparation for Vallecano.

 

Arteta set to rotate

While the Eagles have a tight squad which will see them through the league campaign and then head to Leipzig, the big difference with this Arsenal team, compared to Arteta’s previous groups, is the depth in quality in the squad, and that means the Arsenal boss is prepared to rotate his team for this final Premier League bout.

With one eye on the Champions League final against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30^th, Arteta will shuffle his pack. His players have been through the mill physically and mentally over the past few weeks; they had a tough time when they met West Ham United a couple of weeks ago, escaping with three points thanks to a late VAR controversy which cancelled out a Hammers equaliser. And against Burnley there was peril, as Kai Havertz escaped a red card which would have given the Clarets half an hour at ten men, a challenge Arsenal have yet to face this season, nor have they conceded a penalty in the Premier League.

So some of Arsenal’s big names need a breather before the Champions League final and Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and David Raya did not train with the rest of the team on Thursday; while midfield ace Declan Rice and centre back Gabriel are also likely to be rested.

Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to take over from Raya between the sticks, while Christian Noorgard may be in line for his first start of the campaign. Eze is ready to start up front against his former side and there may be a final appearance in the red and white of Arsenal for Gabriel Jesus.

 

History

The Gunners have totally dominated the head-to-head Crystal Palace vs Arsenal results, with 18 wins to three, while there have been ten draws in all competitions over the last 31 meetings. At Selhurst Park Palace have won two, lost eight and drawn four. Arsenal won 1-0 when the two sides met at the Emirates this season and 5-1 in South London in the 2024/25 campaign.

Recent form is stronger for Arteta’s men too. The Eagles have won two, drawn two and lost two over the last six games, both victories over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Conference League semi-final, while the Gunners have won five and drawn one, though four of those victories were by a 1-0  score line.

 

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Crystal Palace vs Arsenal betting odds are pointing to an away win with Palace at 3.88 and Arsenal at 1.75. With minds elsewhere and the league won I think the Gunners won’t be too unhappy with a draw and I can see the Eagles getting just that.

For a correct score line, 1-1 is priced at 6.95 and that won’t be far from the mark.

   

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