Arsenal v Crystal Palace LIVE: Gunners held to draw but delay Liverpool title celebrations

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

The Gunners are simply playing to delay the Liverpool title party at the moment but Mikel Arteta will be keen to avid any injuries ahead of the Champions League tie against PSG, while Oliver Glazer’s side are still targeting European football next season.

We’ll have all the latest build-up and team news here.

A positive result is a must for Arsenal against Crystal Palace if they are to keep their incredibly faint Premier League title hopes alive.

Liverpool will be crowned champions if the hosts suffer defeat at the Emirates Stadium after a late Trent Alexander-Arnold winner against Leicester kept them 13 points clear of their rivals.

Mikel Arteta’s side have perhaps already switched focus to their continental campaign but looked in excellent form at Ipswich, with a 4-0 win made to look routine even after their Champions League exertions.

Crystal Palace clung on for a draw against Bournemouth with 10 men but have had their push for a top-half finish stalled by a run of three games without a win.

Mikel Arteta kept his changes limited against Ipswich but may freshen up his Arsenal side here. Declan Rice may be due a rest even with Jorginho still absent with a rib injury, while Bukayo Saka could be left on the bench after narrowly avoiding injury after Leif Davis’s tackle on Sunday. Riccardo Calafiori is probably another week away from a return.

Chris Richards is suspended for Crystal Palace following his dismissal for two bookable offences against Bournemouth. With an FA Cup semi-final looming later in the week, Oliver Glasner may also consider some rotation.

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, White, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Zinchenko; Nwaneri, Merino, Martinelli.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Lerma, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Eze, Nketiah, Sarr.

When is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace?

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 23 April at the Emirates Stadium.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 7.30pm BST. Subscribers can stream the action via Sky Go.

Mikel Arteta said he hopes Leif Davis’ “dangerous” red-card tackle on Bukayo Saka will not stop his star winger from playing in Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Saka was withdrawn just 10 minutes into the second half of Arsenal’s 4-0 win at Ipswich and had an ice pack applied to his right ankle following Davis’ late challenge.

Davis was shown a straight red card and VAR did not intervene with referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision after it was adjudged that the Ipswich defender had “endangered Saka’s safety”.

Liverpool are within touching distance of securing the Premier League title but Arsenal’s win over Ipswich Town on Easter Sunday delayed the victory parade for at least another week.

The Gunners narrowed the gap at the top to 10 points with a 4-0 thrashing of the Tractor Boys, meaning that victory over Leicester City was not enough to seal the title on Easter Sunday.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side are only able to obtain a maximum of 81 points, with five games left to play. Liverpool are on 79 points, so they now need just three more to make mathematically certain.

Mikel Arteta has insisted Arsenal will not allow Liverpool the opportunity to be crowned Premier League champions on Easter Sunday.

Liverpool will claim the title with five matches remaining if Arsenal lose against Ipswich at Portman Road and they see off Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

But Arteta, who this week oversaw his side’s progression to the Champions League semi-finals with a stunning 2-1 victory at Real Madrid to complete a 5-1 aggregate triumph, said: “We will make sure that we win the game against Ipswich, and that (Liverpool winning the league) doesn’t happen.”

Here's a reminder of the team news, with the line-ups to be released in around 10 minutes...

Mikel Arteta kept his changes limited against Ipswich but may freshen up his Arsenal side here. Declan Rice may be due a rest even with Jorginho still absent with a rib injury, while Bukayo Saka could be left on the bench after narrowly avoiding injury after Leif Davis’s tackle on Sunday. Riccardo Calafiori is probably another week away from a return.

Chris Richards is suspended for Crystal Palace following his dismissal for two bookable offences against Bournemouth. With an FA Cup semi-final looming later in the week, Oliver Glasner may also consider some rotation.