Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Predictions

• Liverpool have seen both teams score in nine of their last 10 league games
• The Reds have conceded in 13 of their last 14 at home
• Palace have scored in 81% of their away trips this term
• The visitors have scored and conceded on 10 occasions in the league this season

Is the title Liverpool’s last hope?

After Manchester United dumped them out of the FA Cup and damaged their title chances, Liverpool had another setback in Thursday’s Europa League defeat to Atalanta. The 3-0 loss to the Serie A side has all but eliminated the Reds from Europe, meaning their dreams of a quadruple have been reduced to a double.

The Carabao Cup means a lot more as part of a trophy haul than as a solitary send off for Jurgen Klopp, which could have the Reds turn their full focus to the Premier League even before their return clash with Atalanta on Thursday. They host Crystal Palace in the league on Sunday, with Jurgen Klopp promising his side will be angry off the back of their midweek loss.

Glasner easing in

Oliver Glasner inherited a tough situation at Crystal Palace, with the fans in revolt against the manager and board. However, despite one win in his six games in charge, there’s little fear of the drop for the Eagles, who continue to struggle with injuries. Glasner hasn’t been able to name his strongest possible 11 at any point, which has likely contributed to the feeling that he’s easing himself into his new surroundings.

Palace have certainly changed their style of play in these early weeks under the Austrian and they have made an effort to be more direct in the final third. That has paid off, with the visitors scoring in all but one of their games under the new boss, while they’ve now netted in nine of their last 10 Premier League games.

Palace have scored first in three of their last four away games in the league and Glasner is getting the most out of striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. The frontman has scored in four of Glasner’s first six games and he has netted in three of the last four. With four of his seven league strikes this term coming on the road, he’s a great bet against a Liverpool side who look shaky defensively.

Reds have defensive issues

Liverpool may bring intensity to this off the back of their midweek setback, but fixing their defence is going to take much more than that. The hosts have conceded in 13 of their last 14 home matches, with only Championship side Southampton failing to find the net in that run. With nine of their last 10 Premier League games seeing both teams score, the Reds have clear concerns at the back.

Palace have a fine scoring record coming into this one and they can exploit a side who are without a clean sheet in eight games in all competitions. The hosts have won all eight home meetings with teams in the bottom half this season, but they’ve managed only three clean sheets in that run. Back them to return to winning ways, but the Eagles should score in a defeat for the 11th time this term.

I do fear for Palace falling away late on in this clash, as 22 of the 54 goals they’ve conceded this season have come in the final 15 minutes of games. The Reds have scored a huge 27 times in the final 15 minutes, netting 12 of their 43 home goals in that period. With Palace shipping four goals against City last weekend, I can see them fading towards the end here, so take a 4-1 victory for the hosts.