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Verdict: Total goals over 2.5Best odds: 4/7Bookmaker: Liverpool and Crystal Palace are set to close the second round of the Premier League campaign when they face each other at Anfield on Monday evening.LiverpoolHaving won both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup but narrowly mi sed out on the Premier League title and the Champions League trophy, the Merseysiders didnt get off to the best of starts last week when they traveled to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in the opening round. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored for the home side after just over half an hour and almost won the match for his team with a second goal which followed Mohamed Salahs second-half equalizer, but Darwin Nunez came off the bench to add to the attacking threat of Jurgen Klopps team and bagged a goal himself to set the score at 2-2.With defending champions Manchester City already five points ahead (they won both their matches so far), Liverpool wont want to allow that Kari Lehtonen Women Jersey gap to remain in force after Monday if they intend to give another go at winning the 20th title.At the time of writing (Sunday afternoon as Nottingham Forest lead West Ham by 1-0), the point Liverpool won at the Cottage has them in 13th place, but that, of course, is of no importance so early in the season.Team NewsSpeaking to the pre s ahead of the match, Klopp mentioned the injury crisis thats hit his squad already and Neal Broten Women Jersey he hasnt ruled out new signings completely, but he did say he wasnt expecting any more to come through this summer following the arrivals of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, Nunez from Benfica, and Calvin Ramzay from Aberdeen. Meanwhile, forwards Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have all left the club, as has right-back Neco Williams.As for injuries, Klopp is currently without midfielder Thiago Alcantara (hamstring), and that seems to be the biggest problem of all, along with the absence of defender Ibrahima Konate (knee). Both players will be out for a while. Joel Matip has also suffered a minor groin injury and he faces a late fitne s test ahead of the match. If hes not ready to play, Joe Gomez is surely the man to step into the breach and partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence.Ali son Anton Khudobin Men Jersey Becker will be back between the posts after mi sing the Fulham clash, but in addition to Thiago, there will be no Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Curtis Jones in the middle of the park. Forward Diogo Jota is also out for the time being, though he could be back next week for the trip to Old Trafford.Midfielder Naby Keita has recovered from illne s and should be ready to play, as should left-back Kostas Tsimikas, though Andy Robertson isnt likely to drop from the lineup to make room for the Greek. One who might make way in the lineup is Roberto Firmino, with Nunez raring to make his first Premier League start.Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace have already faced a top six side in the opening round, none other than manager Patrick Vieiras old club from his playing days, Arsenal. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Gunners proved too strong on that occasion, with Gabriel Martinelli and an own-goal from Marc Guehi, either side of the halftime break, making sure Mikel Artetas side left Selhurst Park with all three points on the bus.Naturally, Anfield isnt the best place for any team in the world to go to in search of a bounce upwards, though Palace have been known to cause quite a few problems to Liverpool in the past. On the other hand, theyve also been known to leave that contest with their heads bowed to the ground after a heavy defeat. But the thought that they will have left two such difficult Alexander Radulov Kids Jersey matches behind after the first two rounds will likely act as a morale booster for Vieiras men. Be that as it may, they travel to the north-west of England with no pre sure whatsoever, with nothing to lose.Pointle s, Palace sit in the relegation zone at the time of writing, but that, as has already been said, means absolutely nothing at this point.Team NewsThere have been some notable changes to the playing personnel at Palace this summer. Two former Liverpool players, striker Christian Benteke and defender Martin Kelly, have left the club, as has midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate. Defensive midfielder Cheick Doucoure has come in from Lens, as have centre-back Chris Richards from Bayern Munich and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion.At the moment, Vieira cannot call upon centre-back James Tomkins (muscular problem), fullback Nathan Ferguson Bobby Smith Women Jersey (ankle), goalkeeper Jack Butland (broken wrist), and midfielder James McArthur (groin), while winger Michael Olise faces a late fitne s test.It remains to be seen whether Vieira changes anything from the Arsenal defeat, but Odsonne Edouard and Jordan Ayew are practically certain to be involved upfront beside Wilfried Zaha. Former Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne should be on the right defensive flank, and it remains to be seen if Luka Milivojevic gets a start in the middle of the park ahead of Doucoure or Jeffrey Schupp.ConclusionThere isnt much debate about Liverpool being the favourites here, especially as Palace havent gotten a point against them at either venue for five whole seasons.But with the odds on a home win being extremely short, perhaps it would be more interesting to go for goals. There have been three or more on seven of the last nine occasions when these teams met in the Premier League.Verdict: Total goals over 2.5Best odds: 4/7Bookmaker: |
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發表於 2023-3-10 13:34:18
