Virgil van Dijk makes Arsenal vs Crystal Palace prediction as Liverpool prepare title party

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk wants the whole squad to watch the Arsenal vs Crystal Palace clash together on Wednesday. The Reds could be crowned champions if Mikel Arteta's side suffer defeat against the Eagles, although if the Gunners win then Liverpool can clinch the title with a win against Tottenham at Anfield at the weekend.

Both sides celebrated victories over the weekend, with thrashing Ipswich at Portman Road and clinching a win against Leicester thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold's decisive goal. 13 points separate the teams with just five matches remaining, meaning an Arsenal loss midweek would mean catching up with the league leaders is impossible.

It's not something expects to happen, but the Dutchman is prepared in case it does. “To be honest. I expect Arsenal to win at home but yeah, if it doesn't happen then I think it would be nice to be together," he said.

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"We'll discuss how that might look in the next few days. But if Arsenal simply win that game, which they probably expect to do against a strong Crystal Palace side, then we have to do our job at the weekend."

If Arsenal manage to maintain the pressure on Wednesday, their rivals can still secure the title on Sunday. Liverpool's next league match is against Tottenham, who may be somewhat distracted by their Europa League encounter with Bodo/Glimt just four days later, reports .

Arsenal have already triumphed over Palace twice this season. They secured a 5-1 victory at Selhurst Park in December, and also notched a 3-2 Carabao Cup quarter-final win earlier the same month.

Gabriel Jesus, who netted five goals across two games, will be absent due to an ACL injury that prematurely ended his season. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the December league win, made a comeback in early April and is set to participate in the midweek match.

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot, on the brink of clinching the league title in his debut season, expressed his anticipation for potentially securing the title amidst a packed Anfield. Their last victory in 2019-20 occurred with empty stadiums as Premier League football resumed after a Covid-induced break.

"We're all looking forward to that game [against Spurs]," Slot said. "Always when we play at home, we look forward to it. But we've already played Tottenham a few times and we know they can make it very difficult for us.

"They're a good team, they have all their injured players back, they're still playing for something in Europe as well. But I'm looking forward to it because I assume our fans will be loud on Sunday."