There's an awkward truth Liverpool need to face before Saturday's match at Anfield: Crystal Palace have had their number all season. Three wins in three meetings across three different competitions. Community Shield, Carabao Cup, Premier League away fixture — Palace have done them every time. And now they come to Anfield in decent form, with a player who cannot stop scoring against Liverpool.
Ismaila Sarr has seven goals in nine games against the Reds. Seven. That's not a coincidence — that's a problem. Whenever Palace face Liverpool, Sarr raises his level and Liverpool's defence has consistently struggled to deal with him. If Liverpool aren't careful on Saturday, that number becomes eight.
The context for Liverpool makes this even more fraught. They need three wins from their final five matches to secure a top-five finish and Champions League football next season. With Mohamed Salah heading toward the end of his time at Anfield, qualifying for Europe's elite competition matters enormously for what comes next. Drop points here and the pressure builds fast.
Liverpool are coming off a dramatic 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby, with Virgil van Dijk heading home a 100th-minute winner. That was the kind of result that lifts confidence — and the dressing room will be in a good place after that — but Crystal Palace represent a very different test. Everton were in bad form and had little to fight for. Palace are mid-table with momentum and a Conference League semi-final giving them belief and match sharpness.
Palace's eight-match unbeaten run is the thing Liverpool need to take seriously. They haven't just been grinding draws — they've been playing with genuine quality and confidence. Manager Oliver Glasner has found a system that works, and his players look settled and organised. Coming to Anfield without fear is exactly the kind of headspace that causes home sides problems.
For Liverpool, the big question is whether this is the week Salah has one of those days. When he's locked in and the service is right, Anfield becomes almost impenetrable for visiting sides. He still has the goals in him — the Everton winner aside, he's been consistently dangerous in this period of the season. Palace will know their defensive discipline against him is critical.
This is genuinely one of the harder home games Liverpool could face right now. A team in form, with a proven goalscorer against them specifically, in a must-win game for the home side — that combination creates pressure. Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Crystal Palace. Reds to edge it, but Sarr to test them and keep it nervous until the end.
0 Comments