Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
Venue: Anfield Stadium
Kick off: 4PM
Liverpool will once again have the chance to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table when they host Crystal Palace at Anfield this afternoon.
The Reds remain on course for a first league title since 1990, but know that any slip-up against 14th-placed Palace would allow champions Manchester City the chance to close the gap.
It was an unexpected Crystal Palace victory at Manchester City which really catapulted Liverpool into the role of Premier League favourites, so Jurgen Klopp will be particularly wary of the Eagles.
The Reds once again play before City this weekend and so would open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table with victory, although anything less would not only allow the champions to close the gap on Sunday, but also pile more pressure on the shoulders of Liverpool.
Klopp’s side so far appear unfazed by such pressure, though, and they produced a gritty 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend to bounce back from successive defeats, including their first league loss of the season at Man City.
January has been a traditionally poor month for the Reds under Klopp – they have lost more games than they have won in the month during his tenure – but this Liverpool team is beginning to make a habit of bucking previous trends and have showcased the crucial title-winning quality of picking up wins even when not playing particularly well.
Today marks their first home game of 2019 too, and the Reds are currently on a 31-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the top flight.
Crystal Palace were the last visiting team to win a league game at Anfield incidentally, but Klopp’s side should be confident of avoiding that fate this weekend having won each of their last six outings in front of their own fans. Another victory in this match would see them make it seven on the bounce for the first time since January 2014.
Perhaps even more impressively, Liverpool have conceded just three goals in their last 15 Premier League home games, and they boast by far the best defensive home record in the Premier League this season.
Indeed, home and away only one team in English top-flight history has ever conceded fewer goals at this stage of a season, and it is that defensive record which has provided the foundation for what looks like Liverpool’s best chance of winning the title.
Such are the standards in the Premier League nowadays that a four-point lead can be wiped out very quickly should Liverpool hit a blip, but victory on Saturday would take them another small step closer to ending their drought.
Liverpool possible XI: Alisson, Milner, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Shaqiri, Firmino, Mane, Salah.
Crystal Palace possible XI: Speroni, Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur, Townsend, Benteke, Zaha.