LIVERPOOL look to be getting the hang of this Premier League malarkey under Jurgen Klopp; can they pass another test against a rejuvenated Crystal Palace? We asked Will Dyer (@w2dyer).
Liverpool v Crystal Palace | Sunday 16:30 | Sky Sports 1
Liverpool continued their good form last weekend with a win at the Hawthorns, Jürgen Klopp foiling Tony Pulis’ plans to extend his unbeaten run against Liverpool to nine games.
It was another great result for the Reds who’ve gained six points from trips to Stoke and West Brom now, games we’ve typically come to expect them to lose in recent years.
Going forward Liverpool looked good; Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino combining well and Divock Origi embracing the lone striker role. The Belgian seems to be maturing as a player in terms of his intelligence, both with and without the ball.
Passing Tests
The Reds also had a good game defensively; they dealt with West Brom’s strengths, it was an assured tactical display. There were a few times that Simon Mignolet had to come to the rescue but that’s to be expected against a team that is extremely direct and favours the aerial game.
As for Crystal Palace, they showed good determination to come from two goals behind at home to Leicester. I was in attendance at Selhurst Park though and felt that they lacked any fluidity. I guess that’s the Sam Allardyce way.
The Foxes put out a strong team, which was somewhat unexpected with their huge Champions League clash to follow. It meant a tricky game for the Eagles who had won five of their last six coming into the game.
Their downfall was failing to deal with two of Leicester’s hallmark routines. A Christian Fuchs long throw-in finding Robert Huth and the back of the net and a quick break from a corner with Riyad Mahrez threading Jamie Vardy through. Being caught out by these kind of things isn’t very Big Sam at all.
Big Sam-ness
Christian Benteke was always a threat and it looked inevitable at 2-1 that he would level the game, with the frequency that Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend were delivering dangerous balls into the box.
Palace have certainly turned a corner under the ex-England manager but I’m not sure we’re about to see them push on to a top-10 club. They’ve won their last two games at Anfield but haven’t visited since 2015, in the meantime they’ve lost twice at home to Liverpool and I think that reflects the progress of the Reds under Klopp.
Liverpool are 1/2 (Bet365) to win this, I think that’s about right. Their home record reads W11-D4-L1 this season, eight of those wins have seen both sides score and that’s my play for this outing; Liverpool to win and Both Teams To Score at 21/10 with Bet365.
Benteke Vengeance
Benteke returns to his old hunting ground, not a particularly happy hunting ground but he’s in good form for the Eagles and I do believe that they’ll create a few chances, more than the Baggies managed last weekend.
Liverpool are improving at the back and Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and Giorginio Wijnaldum are also doing a better job at shielding them than previously.
However, on recent head to heads this is a goal heavy fixture, both teams scored in all of the last nine meetings between these clubs. Whilst, Mignolet’s unlikely to keep up his recent heroics. The stats suggest that Palace are more likely to score than not.
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Liverpool v Crystal Palace – Liverpool to win and Both Teams To Score (21/10 Bet365)
