Liverpool return to Premier League action as they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are looking to bounce back from defeats in their previous league games and enter the November international break with three big points.
Crystal Palace’s poor start to the season continued with a 2-0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur last week. Pierre Sage’s side then rescued a point against Hoffenheim after being reduced to 10 men in their fourth Europa League game on Thursday. With just two wins in their opening nine league games, the Eagles find themselves 18th in the Premier League points table.
Liverpool, on the other hand, suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal before a shock 3-2 away loss to Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday. Ahead of their visit to South London, Andoni Iraola’s side will look to avoid a third straight defeat and stay in contention for a top-four finish.
Last 5 games
Crystal Palace enter this fixture having won just one of their last five games across competitions. They registered a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim in their latest fixture after a late winner from Daichi Kamada. Earlier, they suffered three Premier League defeats in a row, but secured a 1-0 win against Fulham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup fixture.
Liverpool’s strong run in October came to an end with two back-to-back defeats. Before that, the Reds enjoyed a five-match winning streak across tournaments. Before their home defeat to Arsenal, the 20-time English champions knocked out Chelsea in the Carabao Cup fourth-round clash at Anfield. Liverpool also recorded a crucial 2-0 win against in-form Brighton and a thrilling 4-3 win against Villarreal in their third Champions League fixture this campaign.
Crystal Palace: 18th
Draw: 1-1 vs Hoffenheim
Loss: 2-0 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Win: 0-1 vs Fulham
Loss: 0-2 vs Newcastle United
Draw: 2-2 vs Besiktas
Liverpool: 6th
Loss: 3-2 vs Fenerbahce
Loss: 1-0 vs Arsenal
Win: 1(6)-1(5) vs Chelsea
Win: 2-0 vs Brighton
Win: 4-3 vs Villarreal
Team News
Jean-Philippe Mateta received an early red card against Tottenham Hotspur and is set to miss the next three domestic games. The striker’s suspension could pave the way for Eddie Nketiah in the No. 9 role on Sunday.
Ismaila Sarr and Jorgen Strand Larsen remain on the sidelines, but the centre-back Axel Disasi is expected to return to the back three after being rested against Hoffenheim.
For Liverpool, Andoni Iraola is expected to make five changes to his starting eleven. Ronald Araujo and Milos Kerkez are likely to return to the full-back duties, replacing Joe Gomez and Konstantinos Tsimikas respectively. Isak Alexander, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo are also expected to return to the starting eleven.
Wirtz could start ahead of Dominic Szoboszlai in the No. 10 role, with the latter replacing in-form youngster Trey Nyoni, who has started in the last three games. Meanwhile, doubts remain over Ryan Gravenberch’s involvement as he continues to recover from a heel fracture.
Possible Lineups
Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson; Jaydee Canvot, Axel Disasi, Chris Richards; Anan Khalaili, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Yeremy Pino, Dwight McNeil; Eddie Nketiah
Liverpool: Alisson Becker; Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Dominic Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister; Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak
Head-to-Head
Liverpool dominate the head-to-head record against Crystal Palace with 38 wins in 70 meetings across competitions. The Eagles have notched up 18 wins and managed to hold the Reds for a draw on 14 occasions so far.
In their last meeting, Liverpool recorded an easy 3-1 win at Anfield in the league fixture last season. However, Crystal Palace won the return fixture at home 2-1 and also crushed the hosts with a stunning 3-0 at Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth-round fixture last year. In the last five overall meetings, both teams have managed to win twice and shared the spoils on one occasion, so fans can expect a mouth-watering clash on Sunday.
Where Will The Game Be Decided?
Alexander Isak’s performance could prove crucial in this fixture. The Liverpool striker scored minutes after coming off the bench against Fenerbahce and has been brilliant in front of goal this season. He has scored six league goals this season and is only behind Erling Haaland in the Premier League goalscoring charts. The Swedish striker also scored an opening goal when the two teams last played each other and is expected to make a difference at Selhurst Park.
Prediction
Crystal Palace are facing the relegation battle after nine league games this season. They have failed to score a goal in their last three league matches and enter this fixture with just one win from their last five fixtures. With Jean-Philippe Mateta suspended, under-pressure manager Pierre Sage is already facing a tough challenge on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool remain favourites to win this fixture despite their recent struggles. The potential return of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo in the attack could boost their attack. Liverpool’s defence could also benefit from Ronald Araujo’s likely return to the right-back position. However, Andoni Iraola will be hoping for an improved performance from their defence after an abysmal display against Fenerbahce.
Our Prediction: Crystal Palace 0-2 Liverpool
Odds
Crystal Palace win: 24/5
Draw: 7/2
Liverpool win: 3/5
Even with their recent struggles, Liverpool are comfortably leading the odds with a 60% chance of winning this game. Crystal Palace’s chances of walking away with three points are 19%, while the probability of both teams sharing the points is 21%.
If you bet £10 on Liverpool’s win, then you could get a modest sum of £16 in return. However, if you back Crystal Palace to produce an upset with a similar bet, then it could result in a £58 return. A £10 bet on a draw would return £45 in total.
