Prediction: Crystal Palace vs Liverpool

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 40/85

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Saturday’s lunchtime fixture presents an opportunity for the top spot in the Premier League table to be contested as Liverpool travel south to clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

In their recent outing, Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory against Sheffield United, spoiling Chris Wilder’s return to face his former team. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction brewed in the capital as Palace faced a 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth.

Crystal Palace

There’s a distinct lack of holiday cheer at Selhurst Park currently, as Palace faced dissatisfaction from their supporters, with boos echoing through the stadium. Reports also indicate that a bottle was allegedly thrown towards the veteran coach Roy Hodgson after a disappointing home loss against Bournemouth.

The team suffered a 2-0 defeat against the Cherries, marked by goals from Marcos Senesi and Kieffer Moore via headers, leading to Palace’s third loss in their last four matches and encapsulating a dismal run in the winter period. Hodgson expressed his frustration, particularly criticizing what he deemed as “spoiled” Palace fans, a sentiment echoed by the exodus of fans leaving the stadium following Moore’s goal.

Despite frequently holding a comfortable mid-table position, Palace find themselves in 14th place in the table now, collecting only a single point from their last four Premier League games. While they currently have a seven-point cushion above the relegation zone, their recent string of results is a cause for concern.

The team has been grappling with a series of unfortunate injuries, exacerbating their challenges. Hodgson’s future at the club has also come under scrutiny, especially with the speculation surrounding Steve Cooper’s potential move to replace him.

Currently, Hodgson’s primary focus lies on training ground preparations as Palace endeavor to halt their five-game winless streak at Selhurst Park. Their most recent three home games ended in defeats, setting up a scenario where home fans may arrive on Saturday with hope but not necessarily high expectations.

Team News

Palace’s treatment room has become more crowded with left-back Tyrick Mitchell as its latest occupant. Mitchell sustained a muscular strain during the match against Bournemouth and had to be substituted after just 29 minutes. It’s likely he will be unavailable for Saturday’s upcoming game due to this injury.

Before the Bournemouth clash, Palace received unfortunate news regarding Cheick Doucoure. The midfielder, who has been linked with a potential move to Liverpool, has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, which has him at risk of missing the remainder of the season.

Liverpool

Chris Wilder’s return to Bramall Lane following Paul Heckingbottom’s departure marked a challenging fixture against a formidable Liverpool side. Despite Sheffield United’s efforts to avoid a repeat of their previous heavy defeat to Burnley, Liverpool managed to secure a victory with Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai contributing to the scoresheet. This win kept Liverpool trailing just two points behind league leaders Arsenal as they approached the 15-game mark.

Liverpool’s early match against Crystal Palace this weekend presents an opportunity for the Reds to potentially claim the top spot temporarily. However, a surprise defeat in this game could see them at risk of being overtaken by Aston Villa if Arsenal fail to secure a win in their subsequent match against Unai Emery’s team.

Following their chaotic 4-3 win over Fulham, Liverpool’s routine victory over Sheffield United provided a welcome sense of stability. It also marked their first clean sheet on the road in the Premier League this season. The Reds now aim to secure their fourth consecutive win across all competitions as they head to Selhurst Park.

In previous encounters, Liverpool managed a clean sheet at Selhurst Park in February. However, Palace held them to a goalless draw in that fixture and secured a 1-1 draw at Anfield last summer. The latter result halted a 10-game losing streak for Palace against Liverpool.

Team News

Alexis Mac Allister sustained a knee injury during the win against Sheffield United, an ailment he managed to play through in the first half before eventually being forced off just before the hour mark.

In addition to this setback, Klopp has also delivered some crushing news regarding Joel Matip, who has suffered an ACL tear, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. Furthermore, several other key players – Diogo Jota (muscle), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Andrew Robertson (shoulder) – are not yet ready to make their return to the pitch.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker (thigh) was also expected to miss the trip to South London, and while that yet may happen, Klopp has revealed that the Brazil international is doing very well, and that he hasn’t been ruled out completely at this point. If he isn’t ready, Caoimhin Kelleher will continue to deputize between the posts.

Given Mac Allister’s absence, it’s likely that Ryan Gravenberch will step in as a direct replacement in the midfield, allowing Wataru Endo to continue in the number six role for the upcoming game.

Conclusion

With injury problems mounting for both sides and games coming thick in this festive period, it’s important to mark that Liverpool do have the players to potentially step in and replace their absent teammates, while the absence of Doucoure and Eze seems a truly big problem for Palace.

Hodgson probably won’t have too much difficulty in motivating his men to bounce back from the Bournemouth defeat, but even an improved Palace performance isn’t likely to stop the Merseysiders as they aim for the top of the Premier League table, if only for a few hours.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 40/85

Bookmaker: Olympusbet