Chasing the Top Spot
Liverpool will be looking to continue their brilliant Premier League Form as they travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday. A victory for The Reds would provisionally send them to the top of Premier League, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester City playing later in the weekend. However, it will not be an easy game for The Reds despite Palace’s recent struggles.
Opponent Analysis: Crystal Palace
Today, we take a deeper look at Liverpool’s opponents and what potential threats to look out for on Saturday.
Former Liverpool boss, Roy Hodgson, has been struggling to get the Eagles going this season with just four league wins. Recent serious injuries to the likes of Eberechi Eze and Cheick Doucoure have really had an impact on Palace’s season. Palace are in 14th place, taking 16 points out of a possible 45 thus far this season. Hodgson’s side has only one win in their last eight Premier League games, but have suffered key defeats to Luton Town, Bournemouth, and Everton.
Scoring Goals: A Challenge
Scoring goals has proved a difficult task thus far, with just 14 goals scored in 15 games. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals, with 11. In recent years, Selhurst Park has proved to be one of the trickiest destinations in the Premier League, but Palace have managed just one home win this season. Only Everton and Sheffield United have managed to match Palace’s woeful home record with one win. Crystal Palace come into this one off the back of a disastrous 2-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, and will undoubtedly be itching to correct things.
Key Threats: Palace’s Players
Despite Crystal Palace’s struggles this season, there is undoubtedly some serious talent within their ranks.
Here are three opposition players to watch out for on Saturday:
Joachim Andersen
Many Liverpool supporters will remember Joachim Andersen for being on the receiving end of a famous Darwin Nunez headbutt on the forward’s Anfield debut. But, the Danish centre-back is actually a top-class central defender too. Despite Palace’s attacking issues, their defence has still remained pretty strong, and Andersen deserves a lot of credit for that. Andersen averages 5.40 ground duels, 2.67 aerial duels, and 4.67 ball recoveries per 90 minutes. The defender is also a threat offensively, notching two goals and one assist so far this season.
Saturday could prove to be a huge test for Darwin Nunez, who will need to keep his cool despite Andersen’s antics.
Odsonne Edouard
French striker, Odsonne Edouard, has been a rare shining light despite Palace’s awful goal-scoring record. The 25-year-old has six goals already this season, outperforming his xG by 0.99. Although Edouard may not offer a huge impact off the ball or in Palace’s buildup, he certainly knows where the goal is. Virgil Van Dijk and Ibou Konate will need to keep their focus throughout the whole 90 minutes, or Edouard will likely punish them.
Michael Olise
The 21-year-old winger has caused Liverpool some problems in the past and has recently recovered from a long-term injury. Olise returned to action with a bang by scoring a magnificent solo goal against Luton Town, showcasing his phenomenal ability. The youngster has been regularly linked with a move to a top side, with Chelsea coming close to securing his signature in the summer. Despite only featuring on four occasions this season, Olise racked up 13 goal involvements across the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Match Prediction
Despite their recent struggles, I think this could be a tricky test for Liverpool. I expect the game to be fairly similar to the Sheffield United game on Wednesday, so I’m therefore going to go with a slim win for The Reds.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Liverpool Goals: Jones + Salah
