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Liverpool are once again genuine Premier League title contenders and they will be keen to keep the pressure on current leaders Arsenal when they travel to Selhurst Park to take on a Crystal Palace side who were booed off in midweek.
The Reds occupy second place on the league ladder and are two points behind the Gunners. They have a two-point buffer over third ranked Aston Vila and are four points clear of defending champions Manchester City.
Crystal Palace find themselves in the bottom half and are only seven points above the relegation places, a continued run of poor form could see them drop into trouble and pile more pressure on manager Roy Hodgson.
Crystal Palace have not won in the Premier League since the start of November and the supporters are starting to get a little bit restless.
The players and manager were booed on Wednesday evening following a 2-0 home defeat against Bournemouth, another poor performance on Saturday against Liverpool could Hodgson on the verge of losing his job. You have to ask yourself, at 76 years of age does Hodgson really need this kind of stress in his life?
They have lost three and drawn one of their last four Premier League matches. If the Eagles are to get anything from the game against Liverpool, then the fans need to get behind their team on Saturday. The Palace fans are a vocal and passionate bunch and they could be the 12th man the team and Hodgson desperately need at the moment.
Palace will be without Eberechi Eze for this game after he picked up an ankle injury away at Luton Town, he is expected back in a couple of weeks but he will not be fit for Saturday. Dean Henderson, Rob Holding, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Cheick Oumar are all still on the injured list.
Liverpool have their sights set on a second Premier League title and they know they cannot afford to drop points against teams in the bottom half. In order to win the Premier League, they cannot afford to be complacent and expect to roll over the so-called lesser teams.
The Reds have not tasted defeat in the league since they lost at Tottenham in September. They have gone eight games undefeated with five wins and three draws.
Liverpool have kept five clean sheets already this season, but that does not mean their defence has been world class. They conceded three against Fulham, and that's what I mean about being complacent against teams below them.
Jurgen Klopp has some injury problems heading into this game. Goalkeeper Alisson is still not fit to return after picking up a hamstring problem against Manchester City. Diogo Jota is still absent after he went off in that same game, while Joel Matip could face a lengthy spell on the treatment table after damaging his knee against Fulham.
Liverpool have dominated the past fixtures between these two teams. They have only met each other 50 times and the Reds have been successful in 31 of those matches.
There is a little bit of hope for Palace as the last two meetings have ended in draws. The Eagles last recorded a victory over Liverpool back in 2017 at Anfield.
The last time Palace picked up three points at Selhurst Park against Liverpool was in 2014 when they recovered from an early goal to run out 3-1 winners.
Since that victory for Palace, Liverpool have won eight times in all competitions at Selhurst Park.
Liverpool have the edge over Palace and I fully expect them to claim three points on Saturday. Check out more betting odds on the Saturday lunchtime game.
Our Betting Tip for Today- Liverpool to win to nil - 17/10 @ Ladbrokes
Crystal Palace are not fancied to take any points off Liverpool on Saturday. The home side can be backed at 17/4 to win the game and 16/5 to claim a point. The Reds are clear favourites and can be backed at 4/9.
It is clear that Liverpool cannot afford to be dropping points against teams like Crystal Palace. This is not a slight against Palace, but the Reds are going for a title and every single point they pick up is vital.
They need to be switched on from the first whistle, and I fully expect them to be. They recorded a clean sheet in their recent win over Sheffield United. Without being brilliant they got the job done and I expect a similar outcome on Saturday.
I cannot see Palace causing Liverpool many problems, so backing the away team to win to nil is the way to go.
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