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| Liverpool's treble quest is under threat, they must beat Crystal Palace to stay on track. (Photo credit: BBC) |
The title race is heating up like never before. Manchester City surged to the top spot on Saturday with a 5-1 home win over hapless Luton Town. It’s up to Liverpool and Arsenal to respond.
Crystal Palace knows how to be stubborn against top sides, but they couldn’t stop Manchester City last weekend, and their place in the Premier League next season isn’t confirmed yet as they sit in the 15th spot, just five points off Luton in the relegation zone.
Liverpool capitulated badly in Europe on Thursday; their treble dream is now hanging by a thread after losing at home to Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League encounter. It would take a huge effort in Italy for Liverpool to claw things back.
The focus right now for Jurgen Klopp is the Premier League, and the opponent on the day is Crystal Palace. Liverpool’s main goal is to win and return to the top spot ahead of Arsenal’s fixture against Aston Villa at the Emirates shortly after.
Palace can welcome Michael Olise and Ebere Eze back into the starting lineup together for the first time in a while. While injuries have limited both players to a handful of games this season, Palace plays a lot better when they’re both on the pitch.
Jean Phillippe Mateta is enjoying a good spell up front, but Palace should be looking to sign a top striker in the summer. Odsonne Edouard is the other man, with Jordan Ayew floating in. Around them, they need proven goal scorers to help the team; if they don’t sign a proper striker, they will continue to struggle.
How will Liverpool line up? Expect a full-strength Liverpool for this game; the trio of Mohammed Salah, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez are all expected to feature. There’s no point resting anyone for Thursday; you can only beat what is in front of you.
Palace will approach this game with caution; expect them to attack collectively and defend the same way. Oliver Gasner has yet to impress in the dugout, but he should be able to secure top-flight football for next season, which is his major KPI.
Liverpool needs to win; they also need to score lots of goals, with Arsenal leading them on goal difference. Manchester City recorded four goals to boost their goals; it could come down to goals as the season nears climax.