Liverpool v Crystal Palace: Will the Reds' bogey team frustrate again?

Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Saturday 19 January, 15:00

Leaders Liverpool in search of magnificent seventh

After an impressive stretch of 21 Premier League games without defeat, Liverpool hit a bump in the road at the start of the year with back-to-back 2-1 defeats - away to title challengers and defending champions, Manchester City, and away to Wolves in the F.A Cup.

Neither loss was entirely unexpected but a bounce back at Brighton last Saturday, where they won 1-0 thanks to a 50th minute Mo Salah penalty, was a most welcome fillip. The Reds were hardly convincing at the Amex, mustering just three shots on target, but that was three more than their opponents could muster and given the circumstances, it was an utterly professional performance.

Once again, Liverpool have a chance to stretch their lead at the top of the table to seven points, before City get a chance to respond at Huddersfield on Sunday but the boot will be on the other foot for a while after that, with City playing before Liverpool in the next two rounds of Premier League fixtures. The stakes are really high now and the Reds, who currently trade at 1.85 to win the Premier League, won't want to give the Citizens an inch.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 31 Premier League home games and they're looking to win their seventh in-a-row at Anfield for the first time since January 2014.

Eagles looking to re-establish Anfield hoodoo

Crystal Palace are having a strange season so far. Abjectly poor at Selhurst Park, where they've accrued just nine points from a possible 33, they're a far better outfit on the road.

Early successes at Fulham and Huddersfield can't be described as unexpected victories but they held Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford in late November and they've won their last two away - at Manchester City and Wolves.

The Eagles are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games away from home for the first time since 2015.

The Reds just too short at long odds-on

These two teams don't have a long history and until they met in the top-flight for the first time in August 1969, they'd met just once previously, in the F.A Cup in 1938, but games involving the two recently have been somewhat memorable.

Liverpool looked poised to win the Premier League title in 2014 when they led 3-0 at Selhurst Park with just 12 minutes left on the clock in their penultimate game of the season but what looked like a 79th minute Damien Delaney consolation goal was incredibly followed by a Dwight Gale brace and the rest, as the say, is history.

Liverpool lost away at Palace the next time the two sides met the following season but given they're looking to beat Palace for the fourth time in-a-row for the very first time in the top-flight, very recent results would suggest the Reds could be over their Eagles hoodoo.

The Reds beat Palace 2-0 away in August, having done the double over them last season (1-0 at home and 2-1 away) but they lost each of their three previous Premier League encounters with Palace at Anfield. A year after ruining their title challenge, Palace beat Liverpool 3-1 in the penultimate game of the 2014/15 Premier League season and they beat them 2-1 at Anfield in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

If Liverpool are going to slip up in a game they're expected to win, it could be this one and they're arguably just short enough at 1.22, despite their brilliant run at home. If you fancy Palace can pull off a big shock here, for the fourth time in five seasons, to make it three on the trot on the road, following their wins at the Etihad and at Molineux, then the 18.00 about them in the win market will make plenty of appeal but I prefer to have the draw onside too and I'm happy to play Draw or Away at 5.60 in the Double Chance market.

Liverpool are clearly well-fancied to extend their winning run at Anfield to seven but Palace have been a bit of a bogey side of late so with pressure mounting on the Premier League leaders, taking them on modestly at a juicy price looks a plausible play.

Goals could be sparse if frustration mounts

Over 2 ½ in the Over/Under 2 ½ Goals market is trading at long odds-on and given 60% of Liverpool home games and 55% of Palace's away matches have produced at least three goals this season, that makes sense but Under 2 ½ Goals was the outcome in three of the last four Premier League meetings between these two and that may be the value play again.

Liverpool could take Palace apart if they strike early but frustration will build if they don't. The crowd will be well aware of their recent record against the Eagles and the visitors will grow in confidence the longer they can keep Salah and co at bay.

If and when Liverpool do find the net, Sadio Mane could be the man to do so. The Senegalese striker has already scored six times against Palace and he's notched in each of their last three encounters.

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1 pt Draw or Away @ 5.60 Double Chance