Liverpool travel to South London on Saturday to face Crystal Palace in a rematch of this season’s FA Community Shield. The Reds arrive with a perfect Premier League record of five wins from five, while Palace remain unbeaten as well, collecting two wins and three draws to sit on nine points.
Odds:
| Crystal Palace | Draw | Liverpool | |
| American | +300 | +290 | -120 |
| Decimal | 4.00 | 3.90 | 1.83 |
| Fractional | 3/1 | 29/10 | 83/100 |
Previous Five Head-to-Head Matches (All Competitions):
Recent meetings between these two sides have often been low-scoring affairs. For Liverpool, this fixture also carries a sense of revenge after their Community Shield defeat to Palace at Wembley.
Crystal Palace Team News
Crystal Palace have been without Ismaïla Sarr recently, but he returned to training ahead of schedule this week and could be fit for Saturday’s match. Adam Wharton made his return from injury last weekend against West Ham and will once again be key in midfield. Yeremy Pino was substituted at halftime in that same game due to a minor injury picked up, and his availability for the weekend remains uncertain.
Liverpool Team News
In midweek EFL Cup action against Southampton, Alexander Isak opened the scoring with his first goal for Liverpool before being replaced at halftime by Hugo Ekitike. Ekitike went on to net the eventual winner but was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for his celebration. As a result, he will be suspended for Saturday’s trip to Selhurst Park.
Right-back Jeremie Frimpong made a brief return from injury against Burnley before playing 58 minutes against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week and played the full match against Southampton in midweek. With Ekitike the only absentee, Arne Slot will have close to a full-strength squad available, and after heavy rotation on Tuesday, the Reds are expected to return to their strongest XI for the league fixture.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Crystal Palace Lineup Notes
Ismaïla Sarr and Yeremy Pino remain question marks heading into Saturday. If Sarr is deemed fit, he is likely to partner Daichi Kamada in the advanced midfield roles. Outside of those potential changes, Palace’s starting XI should closely mirror the one that faced West Ham, as squad depth is limited and the Eagles have had the benefit of a free midweek.
Liverpool Lineup Notes
Hugo Ekitike saw two yellow cards in Liverpool’s match against Southampton in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, meaning that he will be suspended and unavailable for Liverpool’s match against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Florian Wirtz came off the bench against Everton, playing approximately 30 minutes in the match, as Dominik Szoboszlai started in Liverpool’s 10 role at the weekend – I expect both players to be in Liverpool’s lineup come Saturday.
At right-back, Jeremie Frimpong completed the full 90 minutes against Southampton, suggesting Conor Bradley could come into the side this weekend. Bradley tends to operate in the right half-space and push inside when attacking, whereas Frimpong prefers to stay wide in the outside channel. This rotation could hint at a slightly different attacking approach for Liverpool against Crystal Palace.
Match Preview
This weekend brings an exciting rematch of the FA Community Shield, with both sides aiming to extend their unbeaten Premier League runs. Liverpool will look to make it six wins from six, while Crystal Palace hope to remain difficult to beat.
Liverpool are expected to dominate possession. Through five league matches, they lead the Premier League in ball retention with an average of 62.6%. Palace, by contrast, rank third-lowest at 42.2%, ahead of only Brentford and Burnley. Despite that, the Eagles have collected two wins and three draws so far, showing their ability to get results without seeing much of the ball. In the Community Shield, Liverpool held 59% possession to Palace’s 41%, and a similar pattern is likely to play out here: Liverpool dictating the tempo, Palace sitting deep and looking to strike on the counter.
Palace’s defensive approach is built around discipline and structure rather than high pressing. They wait for mistakes, win back possession, and break forward quickly. This plays directly into Liverpool’s main weakness- defensive transitions – where they can be exposed by fast counter-attacks.
When in their low block, Palace drop their wing-backs into the defensive line, forming a compact 5-4-1 shape. Their two inverted wingers act almost like dual No.10s, narrowing the midfield and making it difficult for opponents to create chances through the middle. [See image below].
As shown in the image above, Crystal Palace’s compact defensive setup makes it extremely difficult for opponents to play through the middle. Teams are often forced wide, only to recycle possession back inward where Palace have numerical superiority to defend. This approach has been highly effective: Palace have allowed their opponents an average of just 2.0 shots on target per match in the Premier League this season, the second-lowest in the league—behind only Liverpool, who sit at 1.8.
With the central areas overloaded, Liverpool’s choice at right-back could be significant. Jeremie Frimpong’s width and link-up with Mohamed Salah would stretch Palace’s back line, while Conor Bradley’s inverted runs into the half-space could add numbers in midfield against Palace’s packed center.
Liverpool’s attacking formation shifts from their 4-2-3-1 shape into a 2-3-5 shape when in their opponents half and comfortably in possession. Two of Liverpool’s three central midfielders move up into their attacking line of five while their fullbacks look to invert into the half-spaces of midfield, creating a supporting line of three, with their fullbacks ready to drop back into their defensive duties should possession be lost. [See images below]
Defensive transitions have been a recurring weakness for Liverpool this season. Both full-backs push high, and Ryan Gravenberch typically remains as the pivot rather than dropping deeper to cover, which leaves the Reds exposed to fast wingers and direct central counters. Palace could exploit this by turning Liverpool turnovers into quick breaks, using Jean-Philippe Mateta as a target man to hold play up while his wingers or attacking midfielders join in, creating dangerous 3-v-2 situations in central areas.
Liverpool’s left flank is another area to watch. Milos Kerkez and Cody Gakpo rotate fluidly, with Kerkez alternating between pushing high in the half-space or hugging the touchline, while Gakpo drifts centrally. From deeper positions, Liverpool’s central midfielders and inverted full-backs also make untracked runs into the box—a tactic that produced Ryan Gravenberch’s opener against Everton last weekend. Palace’s likely No.10s, Daichi Kamada and Ismaïla Sarr, will need to be disciplined in tracking these late runs.
Should Liverpool cough up possession while either of their fullbacks are caught high up the pitch, it could spell trouble for the Reds with Crystal Palace’s counter-attacking ability.
In conclusion, Liverpool should dominate possession, circulating the ball side to side in an effort to stretch Oliver Glasner’s well-drilled defensive shape. Palace, meanwhile, will aim to strike on the break and maximize their limited chances. One trend to note: Liverpool have at times let opponents back into games after taking the lead, a lapse in concentration that hasn’t cost them points yet but remains a concern for supporters.
Betting Tips
Pick 1: Liverpool Team Total Over 5.5 Corners
Odds:
- American: -125
- Decimal: 1.80
- Fractional: 4/5
Liverpool are expected to dominate possession and spend much of the match camped in Crystal Palace’s half. With Palace defenders likely blocking plenty of shots, play should frequently break down into corners for the Reds.
So far this Premier League season, Liverpool average 5.6 corners per match, but that figure climbs to 6.25 corners in games where they hold at least 55% possession. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, have allowed their opponents an average of 7.0 corners per match this season.
Head-to-head history also supports this play: in their two league meetings last season, Liverpool earned 8 and 11 corners against Palace.
Pick: Liverpool Team Total Over 5.5 Corners
Disclaimer: The betting picks and analysis shared are for informational purposes only and are not guarantees of outcome or financial advice. Please gamble responsibly and only risk money you are willing to lose.
