The start of the new year has been a troublesome time for Crystal Palace who, in their most recent game, conceded a disheartening equaliser in the last few seconds, thus leading to a 1-1 draw with Brentford. With no victories in their last eight outings, Patrick Vieira’s men remain the only Premier League club who are yet to win in 2023.
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The Eagles have consequently dropped in the league table, with a six-point margin to the bottom three being the only solace to be taken. Their three home draws in a row against top-tier sides offer a slight glimmer of hope ahead of their return to Selhurst Park; their last home win coming back in October.
Liverpool fans might be feeling somewhat dispirited having earned two consecutive 2-0 wins in the league prior to Real Madrid’s surprise come-back in their midweek Champions League match. This resulted in the Reds’ biggest ever home defeat in the competition, reaffirming the mounting frustrations of this season.
As such, it appears that the best that Liverpool can hope for is a top-four finish, although if they can gain an enduring period of positive form then that might become a possibility with their seven-point deficit to fourth place and two matches in hand. Manager Jürgen Klopp will be aiming to take advantage of Palace’s weakened position; Liverpool winning each of the last seven matches played at Selhurst Park and scoring 22 goals in the process.
Eberechi Eze has the potential to become a fortunate omen for the hosts as he has lost just once when he has been on the scoresheet (W25, D5). Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah has a long history of dominance against Palace, having contributed 13 goals/assists in his last eight encounters (G7, A6).
An interesting fact to note is that only two scoreless first-halves have occurred in Liverpool’s last 14 matches.
