Liverpool vs Crystal Palace preview, H2H, team news, line-ups, and prediction

Celebrations will be in full swing when Premier League Champions Liverpool host FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the final game of the Premier League on Sunday evening at Anfield Stadium.

With a commanding 12-point cushion at the Premier League summit, Liverpool head into the final day knowing the title is long secured. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace – fresh from FA Cup glory – could secure a top-half finish if results elsewhere fall in their favour.

Liverpool’s 2024–25 season has been record-breaking in both triumph and frustration. While they stormed their way to the title, they recently stumbled into an unwanted stat – becoming the first champions in Premier League history to go winless in their first three matches after sealing the title. Monday’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton followed a loss to Chelsea and draw with Arsenal, highlighting a late-season slump. Mohamed Salah’s glaring miss at the Amex summed it up, but with the trophy already locked in, fans with Liverpool tickets were still signing at the end of the game.

Still, Sunday promises a momentous occasion. Five years after lifting the title in an empty Anfield, Liverpool will finally celebrate a Premier League triumph with a full house. And history favours a strong finish – they’ve never lost their final home game of a Premier League season.

Statistically, Jürgen Klopp’s men could become just the third side in top-flight history to score two or more goals in 32 games in a single campaign – a feat last achieved by Spurs in 1961.

All eyes will also be on Mohamed Salah as he’s chasing the Premier League records for most goal involvements (47 – currently held jointly by Shearer and Cole) and assists (held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne with 20). Salah is on 46 goal involvements and 18 assists, meaning he needs one goal or assist to tie the former and three assists to break the latter. However, with just one goal and one assist in his last eight appearances, form has deserted him at the worst time.

Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup-winning Crystal Palace had little time to bask in glory, quickly returning to action against Wolves on Tuesday night. Despite fielding a rotated lineup, the Eagles defied expectations – with stand-in striker Eddie Nketiah finally rediscovering his scoring touch at Selhurst Park.

The former Arsenal forward netted twice in just five minutes – doubling his entire league tally for Palace in one evening – while Ben Chilwell’s free-kick and the ever-reliable Eberechi Eze sealed a 4-2 triumph.

Now sitting 12th, Palace are within touching distance of a top-half finish – one point behind Bournemouth and two adrift of Fulham. Victory at Anfield, combined with favourable results elsewhere, could see them break into the top 10. Crucially, Glasner’s men are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions and carry that momentum into the final day.

Palace also have history on their side. They’ve won each of their last four league games against Liverpool at Anfield – including a 1-0 victory in this fixture last season. And while Sunday’s result won’t sour the mood of either fanbase, the visitors will relish another chance to crash the party.

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace match details

• Date: Sunday, 25th May 2025
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Venue: Anfield Stadium
• Kick-off time: 04:00 PM GMT, 03:00 PM UTC
• Referee: Darren England
• VAR: Paul Howard

Match stats and head-to-head

• The last five encounters between these two teams have all featured three or fewer goals, including two 1-0 scorelines and a 0-0 draw—suggesting a tight, low-scoring affair could be on the cards.

• Palace have historically caused problems at Anfield, winning this exact fixture 1-0 last season via a 14th-minute Eberechi Eze goal.

• Eze comes into this game in red-hot form, scoring seven goals across Palace’s last six matches, with goals at the Emirates, a brace at Spurs, and the Wembley winner over Man City.

• Liverpool have suffered only one defeat in their last 15 Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (W12 D2)—though it was that same 1-0 loss in this fixture last season.

• Each of Palace’s last four league victories over Liverpool have all come at Anfield.

• Champions finishing the season at home have won on 13 of the last 14 occasions in the Premier League—the exception being Man United’s 0-1 loss to West Ham in 2006-07.

• Liverpool haven’t lost on the final day of the league season since 2014-15 (a 6-1 defeat at Stoke). When ending the season at home, they are unbeaten in 17 games (W15 D2) since a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in 1988-89.

• Palace have a poor record when finishing top-flight seasons away from home—just one win in 12 such matches (D3 L8), a 3-2 win over Man City in 1972-73.

• Liverpool have netted 2+ goals in a Premier League record 31 matches this season. Only Man United (1956-57) and Spurs (1960-61) have done so in more games (32 each).

• Since wrapping up the title in April, Liverpool are winless in their last three league outings (D1 L2). Only four title-winning teams in English top-flight history have failed to win any of their last four matches: Burnley (1920-21), Liverpool (1976-77 & 1982-83), and Arsenal (1997-98).

• Palace boss Oliver Glasner could become just the fourth visiting manager to win his first two Premier League games at Anfield—joining George Burley, José Mourinho, and Louis van Gaal.

• Luis Díaz has either scored (4) or assisted (3) in each of his last seven league appearances at Anfield. Only Salah (19) has more home-goal involvements for Liverpool this season than the Colombian (11).

• Mohamed Salah has 46 goal contributions (28 goals, 18 assists) this season—just one shy of the Premier League record (47), jointly held by Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95). However, he’s hit a dry spell—1 goal and 1 assist in his last 8 matches, despite 21 shots and 18 chances created.

Team News

Liverpool are set to enter their season finale with just two absentees—Alexis Mac Allister is still recovering from a groin issue, while Tyler Morton remains sidelined with a long-standing shoulder injury.

Joe Gomez, recently back from a hamstring setback, returned to the bench at Brighton but didn’t feature. As such, Slot may opt against thrusting him into the starting XI, preferring Conor Bradley at right-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold—potentially making his final Liverpool outing—could be spared entirely after the reception he received in the Arsenal match.

For Palace, touted Liverpool target Adam Wharton is ruled out after sustaining a concussion in the FA Cup final, while Marc Guehi is a doubt following an eye injury at Wembley. They join Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucouré, both long-term knee casualties, on the sidelines. Fortunately, Palace avoided new setbacks midweek, and Will Hughes’s substitution at half-time appeared tactical.

Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta—both used sparingly against Wolves—are expected to start at Anfield, while Joel Ward is set to make his final appearance for the club.

Predicted starting lineup

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Ward, Richards, Lacroix; Munoz, Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta

Predictions

Since clinching their 20th league crown with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham, Liverpool have clearly eased off—succumbing 3-1 at Chelsea and surrendering a two-goal cushion in a 2-2 home draw with Arsenal. Arne Slot will hope his side caps the campaign on a high, adding some shine to a historic season and setting the tone for next term.

For Palace, their focus peaked with last weekend’s FA Cup triumph, but they still have something to play for. Locked into at least 12th, a win could push them into the top 10—a feat they haven’t repeated since the early 1990s.

Whatever unfolds, a vibrant end-to-end contest is likely, as both sides will relish playing in a celebratory atmosphere—Liverpool’s trophy lift capping off a day of shared joy.

We’re predicting a 2-2 draw.