Crystal Palace welcome champions and new league leaders Liverpool to Selhurst Park on Saturday for both sides' final outings before Christmas.

The Eagles have only won one of their last five league games but face a Liverpool team struggling on the road despite their lofty league position.

Match preview

It has taken far longer than last season, but Liverpool are back out on their own at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of Wednesday night's 2-1 victory over previous leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

The top-of-the-table tussle, which Liverpool dominated in the first half before surviving some glorious Spurs chances in the second, looked destined to end level until Roberto Firmino's pinpoint stoppage-time header finally opened up some daylight between the two front-runners for the title.

If anything could dampen Jurgen Klopp's delight at the victory, it would be another Wednesday night to Saturday lunchtime turnaround - a piece of scheduling which led to a furious reaction the last time it happened less than a month ago.

Liverpool drew 1-1 with Brighton & Hove Albion on that occasion - one of five successive away league matches which the champions have failed to win in a run which stretches back almost three months now.

The Reds have not gone six away league games without winning since January 2011 and could draw five in a row for the first time since December 1991, having been held by Everton, Manchester City, Brighton and Fulham since their 7-2 humiliation at the hands of Aston Villa.

Indeed, the discrepancy between Liverpool's home form and away form is the biggest in the league; they have won seven from seven at Anfield this season in an incredible run which stretches a lot further back than just 2020-21, yet on their travels they have won only one of their six league outings this term.

That away run also stretches further back than just this season, with three wins, four defeats and five draws in their last 12 such outings, having won 16 and lost none of their previous 17 before that.

However, they have won each of their last five league visits to Selhurst Park and have only lost one of their last 13 top-flight trips to London, where their only away win of 2020-21 came too.

Quite why there is such a gulf between Liverpool's home and away form is something of a mystery to Klopp, and he will no doubt be wary of a Crystal Palace side that held Spurs to a draw in their last outing at Selhurst Park.

Quite which Palace turns up could be the deciding factor as to whether they could also come away with something from the other member of the top two this weekend, with the hosts having won three, drawn three and lost three of their last nine league games.

That inconsistency is mirrored in their home form - two wins, two draws and two defeats so far - but manager Roy Hodgson can still point to signs of progress ahead of the visit of his former club.

The Eagles are three points and one place better off than the same stage of last season, and crucially have improved upon their biggest weakness from 2019-20 by increasing their goal threat.

It is at the other end where the main issues lie now, with Wednesday night's 1-1 draw at West Ham United making it 12 games without a clean sheet and just one in their last 21 top-flight outings.

Considering Palace have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their 14 league meetings with Liverpool since earning promotion back to the big time in 2013, Hodgson will know that his team will likely need to score more than once if they are to come away with all three points on Saturday.

That makes what the veteran boss described as a "ludicrous" red card for Christian Benteke in midweek even more costly, with the Belgian set to miss out against his former club just as he was beginning to find a bit of form.

Crystal Palace Premier League form: WLLWDD

Liverpool Premier League form: DWDWDW
Liverpool form (all competitions): DWWDDW

Team News

Liverpool have been boosted by the news that Thiago Alcantara is now back on the grass at their new training ground, although he is still yet to return to full training and will not be available until after Christmas.

The Spain international remains on a crippling injury list which also leaves Liverpool without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner, the latter of whom was injured during Liverpool's last Saturday lunchtime game after a Wednesday 8pm kickoff and sparked Klopp's angry reaction.

The Reds are hoping for better news on Joel Matip, who was taken off at half time against Fulham last weekend due to back spasms and missed out against Spurs.

Liverpool were left without any recognised senior centre-backs as a result, but Matip has since returned to training and should be available to replace Rhys Williams at the heart of the defence.

Klopp may opt to make one or two changes elsewhere too as a result of the quick turnaround in fixtures, particularly after not making a single sub against Spurs.

Naby Keita, Neco Williams and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are among those who will be pushing for starts, although the latter has still not played yet this season and so may have to settle for an appearance off the bench first.

Sadio Mane will be desperate to play, having netted in each of his last six Premier League games against Palace, while Mohamed Salah will be keen to extend a deadly December record of scoring 17 goals and creating nine more in 21 appearances - although there have been suggestions that he could be rested.

Palace will be without Benteke due to suspension following his red card last time out, while fellow former Liverpool players Martin Kelly and Mamadou Sakho could also miss out through injury.

Nathaniel Clyne could be in line to appear against his former club, though, while Hodgson could also bring back Gary Cahill, Jeffrey Schlupp and Jordan Ayew in a bid to keep his squad fresh.

Connor Wickham, Wayne Hennessy and Nathan Ferguson remain sidelined for the hosts.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Clyne, Kouyate, Cahill, Van Aanholt; Schlupp, Milivojevic, McArthur, Eze; Zaha, Ayew

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane

We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool

Liverpool have not won successive Premier League games since October but, off the back of such a morale-boosting victory over their main title rivals at the moment, we are backing them to put an end to that run here.

The Reds' away form is on the verge of evolving from a curiosity to a concern and Klopp will know that anything other than a win at Selhurst Park would undo much of the good work they did against Spurs just three days earlier.

Crystal Palace showed in their most recent home game that they are capable of taking points off the league's top teams, but they have a poor record here against Liverpool recently and we expect that to continue on Saturday.

Top betting tip

Video prediction

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