When Premier League title winners Liverpool FC host FA Cup lifters Crystal Palace on Championship Sunday, it’ll be a festive atmosphere. It should be a “school’s out for summer” kind of vibe. Both sides are in a celebratory mood, with Liverpool winning just their second title in the last 35 years, and first in a non-Covid pandemic year since 1990.
Palace meanwhile just claimed the first trophy in their 120-year-history. So it’s party time all around.
Liverpool FC vs Crystal Palace FYIs
Kick-off: Championship Sunday, 4pm local, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Google Result Probability: Liverpool victory 69% Draw 17% Crystal Palace victory 14%
PL Form: Liverpool WWLDL Crystal Palace DDDLL
Fun Fact: these two sides will meet in the very last match of the 2024-25 season, and the very first of the 2025-26 term (Community Shield- pitting the previous season’s FA Cup and Premier League winners versus each other)
PL Standing: Liverpool Champions Crystal Palace 12th, 52 pts
Liverpool Team News vs Crystal Palace
On Monday night, Liverpool manager Arne Slot ruled Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister out for Sunday, with an undisclosed injury.
“Alexis will not play for us this season anymore,” Slot said.
“He needs rest at this moment in time to recover completely and to be ready for the start of next season, but it will be no problem for him to be back [for 25/26]. I think he played throughout the last part of the season with the Argentinian mentality he has.
“Never gives up, no matter what he feels, but it is not smart to play a player that has not a big injury, but something to take a risk with.”
That is the only team news item/fitness concern for the Reds right now.
Liverpool Starting XI Prediction vs Crystal Palace
Alisson; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endu; Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo; Luis Diaz
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter