Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Prediction: Reds to sign off with an entertaining win

There will be a celebratory feel in the air at Anfield on Sunday (16:00, Sky Sports Premier League) as Premier League champions Liverpool host FA Cup winners Crystal Palace on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign. Both clubs have exceeded expectations this season, and with the Reds qualified for the Uefa Champions League, and the Eagles' ticket to the Uefa Europa League already secured, we could be in for an entertaining encounter between the two this weekend.

Below are my Liverpool vs Crystal Palace predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Alexis Mac Allister missed a reunion with his former club Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday, with the Argentina international being rested for Liverpool's last two games of the season.

Dominik Szoboszlai operated in a deeper midfield role alongside Ryan Gravenberch in that 3-2 defeat at the Amex Stadium, with Harvey Elliott utilised as a number 10. Elliott will hope to keep his spot after opening the scoring on the South Coast, although Curtis Jones is pushing for a recall.

In defence, expect Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk to be reinstated after being benched in the Premier League for the first time this season at Brighton. He will be partnered by either Ibrahima Konate or Jarell Quansah, while Andy Robertson could replace Kostas Tsimikas at left-back.

Football Odds

Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench by Arne Slot on Monday, and it's possible that the 26-year-old, who will leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of next month, has already played his last game for the club.

In attack, Luis Diaz could come in for either Cody Gakpo or Federico Chiesa, who was handed his first Premier League start against the Seagulls earlier this week.

Joe Gomez made his return to the squad on Monday, and the 28-year-old will hope to get on the pitch at some point for the first time since sustaining a hamstring injury at Plymouth Argyle on February 9.

There was no FA Cup final hangover for Crystal Palace on Tuesday as they beat Wolves 4-2 at Selhurst Park. Oliver Glasner did make six changes to the starting XI that lined up for last Saturday's 1-0 win against Manchester City at Wembley, with Joel Ward, Ben Chilwell, Jefferson Lerma, Will Hughes, Romain Esse and Eddie Nketiah all given the nod from the off.

Marc Guehi (eye) and Adam Wharton (concussion) both missed out in midweek, and neither is likely to return this weekend.

It will be interesting to see whether top goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta is brought back into the starting XI, following Nketiah's brace against the Old Gold earlier this week. Perhaps Glasner will pair the two in attack, and bring cup hero Eberechi Eze back in at number 10 to play behind the pair. That would likely see Ismaila Sarr, who has scored seven league goals this season, drop down to the bench.

Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure remain sidelined with knee injuries.

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Odds

Liverpool won the reverse fixture 1-0 in September, thanks to a first-half strike from Diogo Jota. The Reds are 2/5 to do the double over Palace, implying a 71.4% probability, while the Eagles are 6/1, or a 14.3% chance, to triumph at Anfield for the first time since April 2017.

The draw is priced at 5/1, both teams to score at 1/2, and over 3.5 total goals at 4/5.

Newly-crowned FWA Footballer of the Year, Mohamed Salah, is favourite in the anytime (8/13) and first goalscorer (3/1) markets, with Mateta (7/4) and Nketiah (21/10) considered most likely to strike for the visitors.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Liverpool & Yes @ 5/4

Liverpool have dipped in form since clinching the Premier League title with a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27, picking up just one point from the last nine on offer. They've lost away to Chelsea (3-1) and Brighton (3-2) either side of a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield, where they were two up at half-time before collapsing in the second half.

However, Slot's side should be motivated to end the season on a high in front of their own supporters, and it's probably fair to suggest that Sunday's game is an easier one than their previous three.

Palace are on top of the world right now, having won the first major trophy in their history last weekend, and Tuesday's win over Wolves extended their unbeaten run to seven games.

The Eagles beat 17th-placed Spurs 2-0 in their last away game in the league earlier this month, but that was their first away win for over two months as they drew two and lost two following a 2-0 victory at Fulham on February 22.

A top-half finish is still in sight for Glasner's side, but Liverpool are a different beast to the teams they have faced recently, and the Reds should come out on top on Sunday as they look to avoid the 'embarrassment' of a four-game winless run to end the season.

I'm backing a Reds victory here, but given there is little at stake and it's an end-of-season contest, I fancy the visitors to get on the scoresheet. Slot's side have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven games, while Palace have scored in their last six.

Bet Builder - Harvey Elliott (LIV) Total Shots on Target 1+, Virgil van Dijk (LIV) Total Shots 1+, Conor Bradley (LIV) Total Shots 1+, Maxence Lacroix (CRY) Total Shots 1+ @ 9/1

Let's have a little bit of fun with this next one. I don't see any reason why we won't see a load of shots in Sunday's game, so I'm picking out four players - three from Liverpool, one from Palace - who I think will be trying their luck in their season finale.

First up, I'm backing Elliott to register at least one shot on target, something he achieved easily on Monday as he opened the scoring in the ninth minute against Brighton before seeing a 64th-minute effort saved by Seagulls goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Those two shots on target doubled his Premier League tally for the season, but having made just two top-flight starts under Slot, the 22-year-old is averaging one shot on target per 90 minutes. It's 50/50 whether he starts again on Sunday, but with Mac Allister still out, he's got a great chance, and even coming off the bench, he looks good to at least test Dean Henderson in the Palace net.

The next three selections only require one shot, rather than a shot on target. On the home side, I'm tipping an effort each from Van Dijk and Conor Bradley.

Van Dijk was an ever-present before Monday's match, shooting 27 times in 36 league appearances for a per 90 average of 0.8. His average over the last five games, though, is 1.6, as he shot twice against West Ham United and Leicester City, once against Spurs, and three times against Chelsea, scoring with his final attempt before drawing a blank against Arsenal.

The Dutch defender mustered one attempt in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park and recorded four efforts in last season's corresponding fixture.

Bradley, meanwhile, is averaging 1.3 shots per 90 in the Premier League, managing one in three of his last four starts.

Finally, I'm backing Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix to register a shot on Sunday. The 25-year-old Frenchman is averaging 0.9 shots per 90 in the league and has taken five across his last three competition appearances, firing four against Forest and getting one off against Spurs before blanking against Wolves earlier this week.

Offers

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