Opponents had reason to play 'cautiously' to allow Arsenal to win the championship.

Manager Oliver Glasner insists he is unconcerned by criticism if he rotates the Crystal Palace squad for their Premier League match against Arsenal in round 38.

The 2025/26 Premier League title race could be decided by a very interesting off-field detail. Crystal Palace, Arsenal's final opponent, is the club that once earned a huge sum from the sale of Eberechi Eze to the Gunners.

According to Arsenal themselves, the club spent approximately £67.5 million to bring Eze from Selhurst Park. The agreement between the two clubs also included several performance-related clauses. This inadvertently makes the final clash between Arsenal and Crystal Palace particularly sensitive, as it brings up the issue of vested interests.

Of course, there's no way Crystal Palace would intentionally lose a match scheduled for May 24th. The Premier League is always the toughest and most professional league in the world . However, the current circumstances have led the English public to begin speculating.

Eze was the focal point of this match.

Crystal Palace have virtually lost all motivation in the domestic league. They are safe from relegation and no longer have a chance of securing a European spot in the Premier League. More importantly, manager Oliver Glasner and his team need to conserve energy for the Europa Conference League final, which takes place just three days later.

This is Crystal Palace's biggest goal this season. A first-ever European title clearly means far more than going all-out in a meaningless Premier League match.

In this context, Palace's ability to rotate their squad or play cautiously is entirely possible. Arsenal therefore have a great opportunity to capitalize on their current motivation and physical condition.

The difference lies in ambition. Arsenal are fighting for their first Premier League title in many years. Conversely, Crystal Palace have reason to think further ahead, aiming for the most important match in the club's history in European competition.

Football is always full of paradoxes. And in the final round of matches, Crystal Palace could inadvertently become an "ally" helping Arsenal get closer to the Premier League title. Arsenal currently have 79 points after 36 games played, 5 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, although they have played one more game.

Source: https://znews.vn/doi-thu-co-ly-do-da-long-chan-de-arsenal-vo-dich-post1650787.html