At a Glance:
Arsenal play Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
The Gunners will lift the trophy after the game has finished.
Here are three key battles that are set to play out during the encounter at Selhurst Park.
Arsenal’s Premier League title celebrations will go up another level this Sunday when they visit Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Gunners will lift the iconic trophy in South London once their final league match of the campaign has concluded. They face a Palace side set to play in their first ever European final on Wednesday night, and thus, Oliver Glasner is expected to rotate heavily in order to protect key players ahead of their midweek showdown with Rayo Vallecano.
Mikel Arteta will likely do the same, given he and his players have their own final to look forward to. Arsenal play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest next Saturday, and the Spaniard is therefore likely to field a team full of second-string players at Selhurst Park.
In reality, Sunday is more about the trophy lift than the match itself. However, Arsenal will certainly want to bow out on a high and finish on an impressive 85 points.
With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game in South London.
Max Dowman vs Jefferson Lerma
Max Dowman missed Arsenal training this week because he had GCSE exams to sit. The 16-year-old became the youngest ever Premier League title winner on Tuesday, and just days later, he was back at school to partake in exam season.
He may be back on the pitch this weekend, with Arteta likely to want to rest both Eberechi Eze and Odegaard ahead of Budapest. The youngster will therefore likely be deployed as Arsenal’s number ten, and he’ll get free reign to move about the pitch to influence proceedings.
Palace may rest both Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada for their final, with Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes likely to come in. Lerma will be tasked with tracking Dowman, and if the latter can get the better of the former, Arsenal have a huge chance of emerging victorious.
Marli Salmon vs Tyrick Mitchell
While Palace will rotate across the pitch, one position where a change is unlikely is at left-wing-back. Tyrick Mitchell is an ever-present figure in the Eagles’ side, and with his back-up, Borna Sosa, a doubt for this game, he’ll likely retain his place.
Traditionally a defensive full-back, Mitchell has actually developed into a threatening and productive offensive wing-back under Glasner. He’ll provide the width for the home team down the left, and he might be up against a Hale End graduate in the process.
With Ben White and Jurrien Timber both out injured, Cristhian Mosquera may move inside to allow William Saliba to rest, creating room for Marli Salmon to start at right-back. If this happens, it’ll be Salmon’s Premier League debut, and he’ll be pitted directly against the dangerous Mitchell.
Gabriel Jesus vs Maxence Lacroix
This could be Gabriel Jesus’ final match as an Arsenal player. With Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz firmly ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order, he’s unlikely to feature in any capacity in Budapest, and thus, he might be saying goodbye to Gunners supporters at Selhurst Park.
There’ll be something poetic about this, given he made his Arsenal debut at this ground back in 2022. He was electric that day, and if it weren’t for injury issues, he might be being viewed as one of the key members of this title-winning team right now.
#FinishTheStory where it all started. pic.twitter.com/bd1SZo2uAe
— Mal (@TheFutbolSpace) May 13, 2026
Like Mitchell, Maxence Lacroix seems to be someone Glasner never rests. He’ll likely command the central area of Palace’s back three, and it’ll be up to him to deal with Jesus’ elusive dribbling and movement.