Liverpool return home on Saturday after a thrilling 3-3 draw on the opening day of the season against Watford. They have since won 2-1 in Europe against Hoffenheim and will be looking to pick up their first Premier League win of the season in this game. Crystal Palace were embarrassed on the opening day of the season in front of their home fans. They were beaten 3-0 by newly promoted Huddersfield and if that is a true reflection of Crystal Palace then they are in a lot of trouble this season. Anfield is a tough place to visit and Crystal Palace aren’t expected to win the game, however they must improve their performance from last week to show their fans that they are not relegation candidates.
Liverpool Form
While Liverpool will have been thrilled to score three goals last weekend, they won’t be happy with how they defended to concede three. The positive for them is that they performed much better in Hoffenheim on Tuesday night and will be looking to follow that up in this one.
They will be aiming to finish in the top four again this season and if they are to then they need to have a very good home record. In the past these are the type of games Liverpool have slipped up on and they can’t afford that this season with the top six being so competitive.
I was disappointed with Liverpool’s defending last weekend and that is something they need to change. They improved against Hoffenheim during midweek and it would be great to see them keep a clean sheet in this one to give them some much needed confidence.
Crystal Palace Form
This week is all about how Crystal Palace are going to bounce back after their defeat last weekend. They were completely outplayed and embarrassed by Huddersfield and they must show a positive response here. Not many people will be expecting them to win the game, and I don’t either, but I do expect them to give a better team performance and one that the fans will be pleased with.
Just like Liverpool, Crystal Palace need to improve their defending from last weekend. They struggled throughout the game and if they can’t keep Huddersfield at bay then a trip to Anfield is the last thing they want. However, they need to knuckle down and perform with credit this weekend to give their fans a performance they deserve.
Team News
With Phillipe Coutinho looking increasingly likely to leave Liverpool before the end of the transfer window they need to find creativity from elsewhere. Their front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are going to have to step up and deliver in his absence. All three of them scored last weekend in the game against Watford and Liverpool will be looking forward to that continuing. They are an exciting front three and one that could be deadly, especially against a struggling team like Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace really need to put in a performance this weekend and it wouldn’t surprise me to see manager Frank de Boer make a few changes to their starting line-up. Experience will be key in this game and someone like Scott Dann, who has vast Premier League experience and is the sort of person who is needed to pull together his team.
Top Betting Tips
Liverpool are big favourites to win this game and they should win it comfortably, even if they don’t put in a much better defensive performance compared to last weekend. They have an exciting front three that are sure to create chances and with Crystal Palace struggling to defend themselves, I can see Liverpool scoring a few goals against them in this one.
Crystal Palace won’t expect to come here and win, but they do need to put in a good performance to make up for the poor one last weekend. They could find themselves in the relegation battle this season if they are not careful and need to pick up some points from somewhere.
The best I am going to place on this game is for a comfortable Liverpool win by a score line of 4-0. This is available to back with Ladbrokes at 16/1, a huge price when you consider the talent that Liverpool have in their front three. I am taking a risk by backing Liverpool to keep a clean sheet, but Crystal Palace showed nothing going forward last weekend and I am expecting them to do the same again this weekend.