
Arne Slot will experience the early kick-off on Saturday away from home for the second time this season, off the back of a 2-0 win over Bologna on Wednesday night. Liverpool face Crystal Palace, who surprisingly find themselves in the bottom three.
Big things were expected of Crystal Palace this term after they ended 2023-24 so well and managed to keep hold of Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
They still may go on to have an excellent campaign, but results and performances have been rather worrisome thus far. Their most recent defeat was the most alarming, as they gave up a first-half lead to lose 2-1 to Everton, who were second-bottom heading into the game at Goodison Park.
Oliver Glasner’s side have drawn two of their three home fixtures. With Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur set to visit in the coming weeks, it won’t be easy to get that first Selhurst Park victory on the board before November.
Liverpool have won five on the spin in all competitions and didn’t need to get out of third gear in their two latest triumphs. There was nothing pretty about their 2-1 success at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but it took them top of the table.
The 2-0 win against Bologna was not particularly spectacular either. Still, it was a special night for Mohamed Salah, who became Africa’s top all-time goalscorer in the Champions League and the first player to score in five consecutive campaigns at Anfield in the competition.
Ryan Gravenberch continues to impress in the holding midfield position, as Slot looks to have settled on his preferred XI for now.
Crystal Palace have taken points off the Reds at crucial times over the last decade-plus, most famously at the end of 2013-14 when Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool were pegged back to 3-3 after establishing a three-goal lead. The Eagles’ comeback that night essentially ended the title race, to Manchester City’s benefit.
The South London side then won at Anfield in three consecutive seasons, starting with a 3-1 victory in Steven Gerrard’s final home fixture.
Liverpool had won 10 meetings on the bounce but after a couple of draws in 2022-23, Palace dealt the Reds another huge blow in April 2024, winning 1-0 on Merseyside to again dent their hopes of winning the league.
Palace have had more success at Anfield than at home to Liverpool as of late, and the Reds are favourites to continue that trend.
The Reds are scoring plenty, while for the Eagles, finding the net has been a struggle.
The Eagles will hope that this encounter kickstarts their campaign. They will look to Eze to provide the attacking spark, and the best bet is for the England international to record over 1.5 shots, plus Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister to commit a foul.
While Palace haven’t got going as a team yet, Eze has been playing relatively well, registering three goals and two assists, albeit with just one of those goal contributions coming in league action.
Since the beginning of 2024-25, the attacking midfielder has had more than a shot every 22 minutes for club and country and has had at least two efforts in every outing - even on his two substitute appearances for England.
He has been on the pitch for almost every minute of Palace’s season, amassing 31 attempts in those eight fixtures. That includes three at Stamford Bridge and two at home to Manchester United, so there is no reason to be put off by the fact that Liverpool are the opponents on Saturday. He had two shots at Anfield last season, both on target, one of which saw the net bulge.
We need to pair this prop up with something to create a palatable price, and a Mac Allister foul does the job. The Argentine has committed an offence in each of his eight starts this term, plus Eze, Wharton, and Daichi Kamada are experts at drawing fouls.
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