Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Premier League

Liverpool are unbeaten away from home and Alexander Isak keeps scoring on the road, but a third match in eight days that runs through Istanbul ends at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace have conceded more goals than anyone and sit one place above the relegation places.

The Matchup

Crystal Palace are seventeenth and running out of hiding places at home. Palace have lost three of their four matches at Selhurst Park and conceded 10 goals there, the most any side in the division has given up on its own ground, and the season total of 19 conceded is the worst in the league.

Liverpool arrive fourth and unbeaten on the road, with three wins and a draw from four away matches, 7 goals scored and only 3 conceded. The gap between these two is not subtle, and it is widest exactly where this match will be played, in front of the Palace goal.

Neither club has named its side yet. The expectation is Alexander Isak leading Liverpool's line again in the 4-2-3-1 that beat Brighton, and he is the form player in this match by a distance. Isak has 6 goals in 7 appearances and has scored in five of them, including the only goal at Bournemouth and one in the win at Brentford, with Cody Gakpo, who has a goal and a team-high 3 assists, expected to start on the left and Florian Wirtz behind the striker.

Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt after missing the Brighton match. For Palace, the expectation is Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line again after starting against Newcastle, with Yéremy Pino and Dwight McNeil behind him in the 3-4-2-1. Jørgen Strand Larsen is a doubt after missing the Newcastle squad altogether.

Key Factors

Palace's problem at the other end is just as real. Nine goals in eight matches is a thin return for any side, and the spread of them tells the story: the club's top scorer is left wing-back Tyrick Mitchell with 2, Mateta is still looking for his first goal, and the one reliable creator has been Daichi Kamada, with a goal and 3 assists from midfield.

Palace have scored in three of their four home matches, so a goal is not beyond them, but protecting one goal takes a defensive performance Palace have not managed yet at home, where they have conceded in all four matches. Liverpool's away defending gives up very little room for that performance. Three goals conceded in four trips, behind Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, is the base that lets the front line play with patience.

The counterpoint is the calendar, and it is a genuine one. Liverpool play Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday and travel to Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Wednesday, so Selhurst Park is their third match in eight days at the end of a long midweek trip. Palace play at Tottenham this Saturday and then have a full week to prepare, and a rested home side with a loud crowd can make the last half hour very uncomfortable for tired legs.

Liverpool have also drawn three matches this season, and a draw loses this bet outright. If Palace reach the final stretch level, the freshest team on the pitch will be the home one. The read is that Liverpool's quality tells before tiredness does, because Palace's back line has spent all season giving chances away long before the closing stages arrive.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.