Liverpool finished the first game week at the top of the table as a result of the 4-0 beating they doled out to West Ham last week. After Manchester City's 6-1 beatdown of Huddersfield, it'll take a similar effort to leapfrog them at top this week, but the Reds will gladly take three points by any way possible against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, a place where they have struggled before. It's the first road test of the season, Liverpool must be up to task.
Team News:
Eyes of fans will be on the center-backs involved in the match and their fitness. The transfer of Ragnar Klavan to Cagliari means that Liverpool are down a man in the center-back ranks, but they have been boosted by the return of Joel Matip to full training in the squad. The big German has been missing in action since his muscle injury in the match against Borussia Dortmund in the United States on July 22nd, and his presence would offer manager Jurgen Klopp an option off the bench, who said about Matip, "Joel is close to being back,” in reference to Matip's closeness to availability for a competitive match. Still missing, though, will be Dejan Lovren as he works towards full fitness after a post-World Cup pelvic injury. The key to Croatia's back line misses out again and will seem to miss out for at least a couple more games. In the meantime, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez look likely to rekindle their partnership for the second week in a row.
The rest of the Liverpool side is pretty straightforward for Klopp, which will come as a relief to Liverpool fans. Fabinho is fully able and ready to contend for a starting role for the Reds. Xherdan Shaqiri is also fully fit and could see a start as well. The only other two misses for Liverpool will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster who are suffering through long-term injuries. Also of note is the finalization of Marko Grujic's season-long loan out to Hertha Berlin in Germany. The midfielder seems to be fairly heavily blocked in terms of possibly seeing game action, and he will join Allan (the young Brazilian who still needs a work permit) as a Liverpool midfielder playing this season in Germany.
Crystal Palace are totally free of injury, with one long-term exception, and manager Roy Hodgson will be given the luxury of a near full team being available to him for his selection. Scott Dann remains "a few weeks away" from returning to action but Connor Wickham and Jonny Williams, who both missed the opening day match against Fulham, have recovered from muscle strains to vie for a spot in the matchday eighteen for Hodgson. Questions do still remain of the fitness of Jordan Ayew, Max Meyer, and Cheikhou Kouyate, the three outfield signings for the Eagles this summer, but much time has passed and it would not be a shock at all to see one, two, or all three available for selection for Monday's match.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected Crystal Palace Line-Up: Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt; Townsend, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Schlupp; Benteke, Zaha
Previewing the Match:
Crystal Palace are riding high off a 2-0 victory away to Fulham as even though the newly promoted side held the vast majority of possession, it was Palace who had the two best bits of quality and walked away with all three points. Both of these sides are coming off a win and Palace, it has been discussed, could be one of the quieter and more surprising teams in the league this season. Wilfred Zaha is the main man and his signing of a new five-year contract was cause for celebration among Palace fans, and he will hope to reward their faith with a superb outing against Liverpool.
Talking about this Palace side's make up, Hodgson firmly believes in the 4-4-2 that he runs and organizes well with this side. Attacking-wise, the main threat is, of course, the two men on top in Zaha and ex-Liverpool man Christian Benteke. Palace was obviously much more dangerous with Benteke as the target man as opposed to Zaha, which did happen on occasion. Still, the danger in Zaha is that he is able to drift out wide and offer the threat while dropping deeper in the attacking zone and allowing Benteke to make himself available as the target man on top with his height and strength. Zaha drifting could also lead to some problems for the defenders as it would isolate either Gomez or Van Dijk on Benteke. The aerial battles between Benteke and van Dijk would be very fun to watch, but the hope for Liverpool will be that a center-back and full-back can close down on Zaha when he goes wide and the defense can force Benteke to play with the ball at his feet.
This is the sort of game that has caused Liverpool trouble in the past and could be especially more troubling with the quality in the Palace side itself. Palace beat Fulham, albeit, a side that was far less organized than Liverpool would expect to be, with a fairly comfortable margin despite Fulham dominating possession of the ball. You would expect the counter to be the most dangerous attack against a well-organized side like Palace, so the key may be winning the ball back quickly once it's been lost and then promptly pouncing on the opportunity provided. Palace's two goals came on moves that got in behind the defense, more specifically the full-backs, so Liverpool will also need to be careful in forming their shape that will not allow Palace to exploit any room behind the defense. Especially when it comes to the shifty Zaha who, though he was dispossessed nine times against Fulham, found the net and was fouled on four occasions.
In terms of defense, Palace stay compact and tight, especially when the ball is in the middle of the pitch. This sort of organization is key in the Hodgson set-up and is the sort of thing that could cause Liverpool trouble and stump them in possession. When it comes to Liverpool attacking, the key will be avoiding the tight spaces and hoping to find a bit of freedom down the wing. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was stellar in shutting down Ryan Sessegnon, but the young right-back who has been a revelation for Palace is going to be staring down Sadio Mane on Monday. Likewise, on the right, Patrick van Aanholt will have his hands full with Mo Salah, who scored the winner the last time Liverpool visited Palace. Possession in the center of the pitch is going to have to be worked wide in order to maximize open space, but the addition of Naby Keita could be the key to unlock their issues. With his game-changing runs through defenses and his ability to skip past tacklers who attempt to challenge him, Liverpool could see more freedom through the tightly packed center of the pitch with the help of their new star midfield man.
Final Thoughts:
This match seems set up to be a tougher one than last week as Palace know how to deal with a side that retains plenty of possession. The difference will be that Liverpool's defense has been gelling well together and this should allow a bit more solidarity when Palace attacks and perhaps could let Liverpool break through with more numbers.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2: Crystal Palace 1:
I'm far more cautious about this match than last week's. Away from home against a side with history of upending Liverpool, combined with their overall quality and two strikers. I think Liverpool should have enough to top them, but there hasn't been an easy match against Crystal Palace in a long time. Liverpool players must be up for the fight that Hodgson's men will bring in front of their home fans.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
Team News:
Eyes of fans will be on the center-backs involved in the match and their fitness. The transfer of Ragnar Klavan to Cagliari means that Liverpool are down a man in the center-back ranks, but they have been boosted by the return of Joel Matip to full training in the squad. The big German has been missing in action since his muscle injury in the match against Borussia Dortmund in the United States on July 22nd, and his presence would offer manager Jurgen Klopp an option off the bench, who said about Matip, "Joel is close to being back,” in reference to Matip's closeness to availability for a competitive match. Still missing, though, will be Dejan Lovren as he works towards full fitness after a post-World Cup pelvic injury. The key to Croatia's back line misses out again and will seem to miss out for at least a couple more games. In the meantime, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez look likely to rekindle their partnership for the second week in a row.
The rest of the Liverpool side is pretty straightforward for Klopp, which will come as a relief to Liverpool fans. Fabinho is fully able and ready to contend for a starting role for the Reds. Xherdan Shaqiri is also fully fit and could see a start as well. The only other two misses for Liverpool will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster who are suffering through long-term injuries. Also of note is the finalization of Marko Grujic's season-long loan out to Hertha Berlin in Germany. The midfielder seems to be fairly heavily blocked in terms of possibly seeing game action, and he will join Allan (the young Brazilian who still needs a work permit) as a Liverpool midfielder playing this season in Germany.
Crystal Palace are totally free of injury, with one long-term exception, and manager Roy Hodgson will be given the luxury of a near full team being available to him for his selection. Scott Dann remains "a few weeks away" from returning to action but Connor Wickham and Jonny Williams, who both missed the opening day match against Fulham, have recovered from muscle strains to vie for a spot in the matchday eighteen for Hodgson. Questions do still remain of the fitness of Jordan Ayew, Max Meyer, and Cheikhou Kouyate, the three outfield signings for the Eagles this summer, but much time has passed and it would not be a shock at all to see one, two, or all three available for selection for Monday's match.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected Crystal Palace Line-Up: Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt; Townsend, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Schlupp; Benteke, Zaha
Previewing the Match:
Crystal Palace are riding high off a 2-0 victory away to Fulham as even though the newly promoted side held the vast majority of possession, it was Palace who had the two best bits of quality and walked away with all three points. Both of these sides are coming off a win and Palace, it has been discussed, could be one of the quieter and more surprising teams in the league this season. Wilfred Zaha is the main man and his signing of a new five-year contract was cause for celebration among Palace fans, and he will hope to reward their faith with a superb outing against Liverpool.
Talking about this Palace side's make up, Hodgson firmly believes in the 4-4-2 that he runs and organizes well with this side. Attacking-wise, the main threat is, of course, the two men on top in Zaha and ex-Liverpool man Christian Benteke. Palace was obviously much more dangerous with Benteke as the target man as opposed to Zaha, which did happen on occasion. Still, the danger in Zaha is that he is able to drift out wide and offer the threat while dropping deeper in the attacking zone and allowing Benteke to make himself available as the target man on top with his height and strength. Zaha drifting could also lead to some problems for the defenders as it would isolate either Gomez or Van Dijk on Benteke. The aerial battles between Benteke and van Dijk would be very fun to watch, but the hope for Liverpool will be that a center-back and full-back can close down on Zaha when he goes wide and the defense can force Benteke to play with the ball at his feet.
This is the sort of game that has caused Liverpool trouble in the past and could be especially more troubling with the quality in the Palace side itself. Palace beat Fulham, albeit, a side that was far less organized than Liverpool would expect to be, with a fairly comfortable margin despite Fulham dominating possession of the ball. You would expect the counter to be the most dangerous attack against a well-organized side like Palace, so the key may be winning the ball back quickly once it's been lost and then promptly pouncing on the opportunity provided. Palace's two goals came on moves that got in behind the defense, more specifically the full-backs, so Liverpool will also need to be careful in forming their shape that will not allow Palace to exploit any room behind the defense. Especially when it comes to the shifty Zaha who, though he was dispossessed nine times against Fulham, found the net and was fouled on four occasions.
In terms of defense, Palace stay compact and tight, especially when the ball is in the middle of the pitch. This sort of organization is key in the Hodgson set-up and is the sort of thing that could cause Liverpool trouble and stump them in possession. When it comes to Liverpool attacking, the key will be avoiding the tight spaces and hoping to find a bit of freedom down the wing. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was stellar in shutting down Ryan Sessegnon, but the young right-back who has been a revelation for Palace is going to be staring down Sadio Mane on Monday. Likewise, on the right, Patrick van Aanholt will have his hands full with Mo Salah, who scored the winner the last time Liverpool visited Palace. Possession in the center of the pitch is going to have to be worked wide in order to maximize open space, but the addition of Naby Keita could be the key to unlock their issues. With his game-changing runs through defenses and his ability to skip past tacklers who attempt to challenge him, Liverpool could see more freedom through the tightly packed center of the pitch with the help of their new star midfield man.
Final Thoughts:
This match seems set up to be a tougher one than last week as Palace know how to deal with a side that retains plenty of possession. The difference will be that Liverpool's defense has been gelling well together and this should allow a bit more solidarity when Palace attacks and perhaps could let Liverpool break through with more numbers.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2: Crystal Palace 1:
I'm far more cautious about this match than last week's. Away from home against a side with history of upending Liverpool, combined with their overall quality and two strikers. I think Liverpool should have enough to top them, but there hasn't been an easy match against Crystal Palace in a long time. Liverpool players must be up for the fight that Hodgson's men will bring in front of their home fans.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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