Arsenal face Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night knowing that defeat would officially hand Liverpool the Premier League title.
Indeed, the Gunners are 13 points behind the leaders with only five games left to play, and a first loss in 12 matches in all competitions would make it mathematically impossible for them to catch the Reds. Nonetheless, their main focus is now on the UEFA Champions League (UCL), where they face a daunting two-legged semi-final against the much-improved Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final.
Mikel Arteta will still want to carry some winning momentum going into those legs though, after thrashing Ipswich 4-0 at Portman Road last time out that saw two of our three recommended bets come through. The Spanish head coach could therefore play a strong XI against Palace, with them having a break over the weekend.
The Eagles have eyes away from the league too, with an FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium this weekend threatening to derail the importance of this fixture for them at the Emirates. Palace are now winless in three matches and have conceded an alarming 10 goals in those, only scoring twice in return.
Arsenal have also won the previous six H2Hs, and netted five at Selhurst Park in the reverse fixture. Nonetheless, the North Londoners will be heavy favourites to beat the team in 12th spot.
How the bookies view it: Arsenal odds-on favourites
As expected, Arsenal are odds-on favourites to win this one, with BoyleSports offering as short as 2/5 odds. A draw is priced at 10/3 with the same bookmaker, while a Palace win is as high as 13/2.
Recent head-to-head: Arsenal's five-star away display
As mentioned, Arsenal scored five away from home in the reverse fixture in December, in a 5-1 rout at Selhurst Park. Gabriel Jesus scored an early brace for the Gunners either side of an Ismaila Sarr consolation goal, before Kai Havertz added a third before half-time.
Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice added goals in the second half, and the former can be backed at 2/1 with BoyleSports to score for the third game in a row when Palace come to visit the Emirates.
Players to watch: Can Nketiah punish old club?
Leandro Trossard scored a brace against Ipswich, and it will be interested to see whether the Arsenal man will be used from the start again.
Eddie Nketiah has a point to prove against his old club, and already scored against them in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.
Predicted lineups
Bukayo Saka should be fine despite suffering an injury against Ipswich, which saw Leif Davis sent off for his challenge. Arsenal have no other injury concerns.
Palace could be tempted to rotate given their important FA Cup semi-final clash over the weekend, but Chris Richards is suspended following a red card in their 0-0 draw at home to Bournemouth last time out.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Odegaard, Merino, Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Crystal Palace: Turner, Devenny, Clyne, Lacroix, Lerma, Chilwell, Kamada, Hughes, Esse, Franca, Nketiah.
Anything else catch the eye?
Should Arsenal play full strength in preparation for PSG, and Palace play a weakened side, it would make the Gunners huge favourites. BoyleSports are offering a price boost of 11/4 for the Gunners to win both halves, which we can see happening.
In Arsenal's last six H2H wins, a total of 24 goals have ben scored at an average of four per game, so also backing Over 3.5 total goals at 21/10 with the same bookmaker could come in handy.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware