After claiming the top spot in the Premier League standings on the back of a 2-1 win at Anfield over Tottenham Hotspurs on Wednesday, courtesy to a 90th-minute winner from Roberto Firmino, Jurgen Klopp’s men travel to Selhurst Park in the weekend fixture list for the defending champions.
A much more attacking display was seen by the Merseysiders when going up against Jose Mourinho’s side in the midweek game at Anfield, and despite the visitors sitting deep back inside their own half, Salah opened the scoring for the Reds only for Spurs talisman Son Heung-min to find the back of the net minutes later following a devastating counter-blow from the North London outfit.
Just as the clock read four minutes of stoppage time at 90 minutes, Firmino scored a fantastic header past Spurs No.1 Hugo Lloris into the top corner as Andy Robertson’s corner delivery found the Brazillian international in a perfect goalscoring position.
The win over Spurs meant that the Reds went three points clear on top of the table, and Klopp’s hopes of extending this lead rests upon his players handing out a similar showing against Crystal Palace come Saturday.
Roy Hodgson’s men have recaptured their early streak of form of late, and having picked up five points from their last three games, the Eagles will prove to be a tough opponent for Liverpool FC to break down.
The Reds away form has been woeful to say the last, with two consecutive 1-1 draws being recorded by Klopp’s side on their travels to Brighton and Fulham in successive weekend games, and Crystal Palace would be hoping to pile upon early pressure on a Virgil van Dijk-less Liverpool FC backline.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Saturday 19 December
Time: 3 PM GMT
Venue: Selhurst Park
TEAM NEWS
Joel Matip was absent for Liverpool FC’s victory over Spurs on Wednesday, but Rhys Williams deputized for the Cameroonian central defender in fantastic fashion as the 19-year-old’s top-flight debut proved to be a memorable showing from the highly-promising defender.
Williams was exceptional in the air when going up against Harry Kane and the composure shown by him against Jose Mourinho’s side would warrant a second successive start in the centre-back spot for the upcoming matchup against the Eagles.
kirkby 👐 @LFC pic.twitter.com/kzUU4bec6Q
— Thiago Alcantara (@Thiago6) December 17, 2020
Thiago Alcantara’s return to first-team training prior to Jurgen Klopp’s men playing Crystal Palace should not essentially sound out signs of the Spaniard featuring in the weekend showdown at Selhurst Park, but the Reds supporters will surely be retaining hopes of their summer signing playing some part in Saturday’s game.
Naby Keita was about to be brought on against Spurs on Wednesday but the final whistle was blown before the Guinean midfielder could mark his presence on the Anfield turf, however, Keita’s chances of making the XI for the Palace game are strong considering the limited amount of rest awarded to midfield options in Gini Wijanldum and Curtis Jones.
KEY BATTLE
Wilfried Zaha vs Fabinho
Following ex-Liverpool FC man Christian Benteke’s sending off in the previous game against Fulham, Palace would certainly be short on attacking options to go up against the Liverpool FC defence.
But Wilfried Zaha remains an ever-present threat for any visitor to Selhurst Park, and the Ivorian international’s recent form is bound to put pressure on the senior-most figure of the Liverpool FC backline in Fabinho to keep the ex-Manchester United forward at bay from finding the back of the net.
Fabinho’s slotting into the centre-back role in the absence of Van Dijk and Joe Gomez has been applauded by many, including his coach Jurgen Klopp, but the Brazillian defensive midfielder surely faces a stern test of keeping Zaha in check over the course of the 90 minutes in South London.
MATCH PREDICTION
Liverpool FC’s back-to-back wins in the Premeir League comes as a real confidence booster to Klopp and Co., and in spite of Crystal Palace’s recent upsurge, we predict the visitors to come out on top with a 3-1 scoreline in their favour.
