Liverpool v Crystal Palace predictions: Finishing finesse gives Reds the edge

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Liverpool v Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 8pm Monday

Best bet

Liverpool to win & under 3.5 goals
2pts 21-20 bet365, BoyleSports

Team news

Liverpool
Thiago Alcantara has joined Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Caoimhin Kelleher on the sidelines. Diogo Jota will not be rushed back to action but Naby Keita has recovered from illness. Centre-back Joel Matip faces a fitness test.

Crystal Palace
Jack Butland, James McArthur, Nathan Ferguson and James Tomkins are set to miss out for the Eagles but Michael Olise could return to the squad.

Match preview

Jurgen Klopp sounded more like a racehorse trainer than a football manager when suggesting that a "dry" pitch at Craven Cottage was a factor in Liverpool's failure to beat promoted Fulham.

The clerk of the course at Anfield will have been working hard to produce the perfect underfoot conditions for the Reds' fixture against Crystal Palace as last season's Premier League runners-up cannot afford to lose more ground early in the title race.

After beating champions Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield, Liverpool – just 2-7 for victory at Fulham – had to come from behind twice to claim a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.

The Reds' disjointed performance was a surprise given that they won 16 of their last 18 league fixtures in 2021-22, drawing the other two with title rivals City and fast-finishing Tottenham, although bookmakers are taking no chances with the odds about a home win on Monday.

Klopp, like Palace boss Patrick Vieira, is dealing with some early-season injury issues. Midfielder Thiago Alcantara suffered a hamstring strain at Craven Cottage and could be sidelined for a month while defender Ibrahima Konate, midfielders Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and forward Diogo Jota are also out.

Vieira's pre-season preparations were disrupted by the unavailability of several senior players for Palace's tour of Singapore and Australia.

There were signs of rustiness in the Eagles' 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal in which they had some good spells of pressure but missed chances and, according to Vieira, conceded two "poor" goals.

Palace won just four times away from home in the league last season, although one of those successes was a famous 2-0 victory at City.

They competed well in both league meetings with Liverpool but the Reds' ruthlessness in front of goal powered them to a 3-0 win at Anfield and a 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park.

Three of Liverpool's six goals against Palace last term came in the 78th minute or later and a low-scoring home win looks the best bet this time around.

The injuries in both camps, coupled with their underwhelming opening results, point to a more scrappy contest than Liverpool fans are used to but it is difficult to pick holes in the Reds' record at Anfield.

They won 15 of their 16 home matches against teams outside the top four in 2021-22, keeping clean sheets in 12 of those games, and Palace's defenders can expect a busy night if Salah, Nunez and Luis Diaz start in front of marauding full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

The Eagles were thumped 7-0 by Liverpool in December 2020 but Vieira toughened them up last season when they kept home and away clean sheets against champions City and beat Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United to nil at home.

Liverpool had just eight shots on target in that 7-0 rout in 2020-21 and their superior finishing could prove decisive at Anfield in a tighter contest than the betting suggests.

Key stat

Only two of Palace's 12 games against top-six clubs last season produced over 3.5 goals.

Inside info

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mohamed Salah
Assist ace Trent Alexander-Arnold
Set-piece aerial threat Virgil van Dijk
Card magnet Fabinho

Crystal Palace

Penalty taker Wilfried Zaha
Assist ace Jordan Ayew
Set-piece aerial threat Marc Guehi
Card magnet Odsonne Edouard

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