MY ACCOUNT
Almost every Liverpool fixture in the second half of last season seemed to be a must-win game for the quadruple-chasing Reds and there is no respite at the start of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.
Liverpool’s surprise 2-2 draw at promoted Fulham means they are five points behind champions Manchester City before their first home match of the season against Crystal Palace kicks off on Monday evening.
Manager Jurgen Klopp, who regards his players as “mentality monsters”, won’t be worrying about the league table at this stage but he will demand a slicker performance than they gave at Craven Cottage.
Liverpool were hot favourites to beat last season’s Championship winners Fulham but twice had to come from behind to claim a 2-2 draw, with Mohamed Salah scoring their second equaliser in the 80th minute.
Crystal Palace lost 2-0 to Arsenal in their season opener at Selhurst Park and they face a daunting trip to Anfield, where Liverpool took 49 points from a possible 57 last season.
Team news
Liverpool’s frustration about dropping points at Fulham was compounded by the hamstring injury suffered by Thiago Alcantara and the influential midfielder faces at least a month on the sidelines.
Youngster Harvey Elliott is likely to deputise for the Spain international but Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ibrahima Konate are also injured and forward Diogo Jota is unlikely to be risked as he continues his recovery.
Centre-back Joel Matip faces a fitness test but record signing Darwin Nunez is primed for a first Premier League start after coming off the bench to score at Craven Cottage.
Palace hope to welcome back exciting winger Michael Olise, who made a positive impression in his first season at the club but James Tomkins, James McArthur, Nathan Ferguson and Jack Butland are out.
The stats
The recent head-to-head record between these clubs does not make for happy reading for underdogs Palace, who have lost their last 10 Premier League meetings with Liverpool.
Last season they were beaten 3-0 at Anfield and 3-1 in the reverse fixture, while in December 2020 the Reds routed the Eagles 7-0 at Selhurst Park despite having just eight shots on target.
Palace have failed to score in four of their last five visits to Anfield, with the exception being a 4-3 loss in January 2019 and Liverpool were ruthless on their own patch last term.
Klopp’s men won 15 and drew one of their 16 home league games against teams outside the top four in 2021-22 and kept clean sheets in 12 of those victories.
Liverpool have been leading at half-time in each of their last five wins over Palace, who also started sluggishly against Arsenal in their opening game, falling behind in the 20th minute.
Prediction
Liverpool were well below their best in the 2-2 draw at Fulham, which was surprising as they had won 16 and drawn two of their last 18 games in 2021-22 and beaten Manchester City 3-1 in last month’s Community Shield curtain-raiser.
A positive reaction is expected from a side who took last term’s title race with City down to the last 15 minutes of the final day — as well as winning both domestic cups and reaching the Champions League final — but the Reds may not have things all their own way against Palace.
The Eagles won 2-0 at champions City and beat Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United to nil at home last season although their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal cost them against the Gunners on the opening day of 2022-23.
The shock victory at City was one of only four away successes for Patrick Vieira’s side last season and Liverpool, with Nunez and Salah leading the charge, should extend their winning streak against Palace, with a 2-0 home win looking the most likely scoreline.
