Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has issued his prediction for Aston Villa’s visit to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
It’s the final game of the Premier League as Aston Villa head to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
The visitors are bouncing with excitement after securing their spot in the 2024/25 Champions League, with Unai Emery sending a heartwarming message to Villa fans after achieving a ‘dream’ season.
It’s been a fairytale period for the supporters, who have watched their club skyrocket up the table under Emery’s guidance, with a place in the top four meriting a fantastic campaign at Villa Park.
The Midlands side will now look to cap off their season by doing the double over Palace for the first time in the Premier League while setting a record for the most points collected in London.
Although it does promise to be a difficult test as Oliver Glasner’s men have won five of their last six matches, including a resounding 4-0 success over Manchester United.
Chris Sutton predicts Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
Villa celebrated qualifying for the Champions League at their Player of the Season awards on Tuesday night. This was after Manchester City did their job by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, which confirmed their destiny.
Former striker Chris Sutton has factored that into his prediction for this match, citing that it’s job done for Emery’s side and they’ll have been ‘on the lash’ to celebrate.
Predicting a 2-1 win for Palace in this fixture, Sutton wrote (BBC Sport): “Aston Villa know they are in next season’s Champions League, so it is job done for Unai Emery and his players.
“They have probably been on the lash to celebrate since Tottenham lost against Manchester City on Tuesday, so I am going with a Palace win.”
A chance for Unai Emery to experiment
Emery won’t let his team’s celebrations impact their performance against Palace as the Spaniard strives for professionalism wherever possible.
However, with the top four sewn up, the players can afford to relax a bit knowing the outcome of this match doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
It is, therefore, an opportunity for the ex-Sevilla boss to experiment with his team selection, perhaps throwing a few youngsters into the fold.
There are several, including Omari Kellyman, Kaden Young and Kaine Kesler-Hayden who are chomping at the bit to make an appearance in a match with nothing riding on it.
Emery could make some young players’ dreams come true by giving them their first appearance in the top flight, having watched Kellyman earn minutes from the bench in the Europa Conference League.
Not only would this be a special moment for the academy stars, but it would show other talented youngsters that hard work can reward opportunities to shine in the first team.
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