Crystal Palace are set to face Premier League leaders Liverpool at the Anfield on Saturday in their next game.
Roy Hodgson’s men lost 3-2 against Watford last weekend and will look to bounce back in the upcoming game, though it’ll be easier said than done against Liverpool.
Currently, Palace are 14th in the league standings with 22 points after 22 games, and have an uphill task this weekend.
Crystal Palace Team News
The Eagles are in the middle of a goalkeeping crisis as Vicente Guaita and Wayne Hennessey picked up knocks against the Hornets and both of them are doubtful for the upcoming fixture.
Pape Souare is also set to remain on the sidelines.
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup
Defence
In the likelihood of Guaita and Hennessey’s absence, Hodgson will be forced to start with Julian Speroni. The 39-year-old hasn’t featured for the London based outfit since December 2017 and it will be interesting to see how he fares.
Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins are expected to get the nod to start in the central defence. More often than not, the duo have been resilient at the back, and they have to be at their very best to deal with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in good form.
Patrick van Aanholt should keep his place at the left-back as usual. He has been excellent in going forward to create chances, and that could come in handy against Liverpool who will be without a recognised right-back. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set to operate as the right-back for Palace.
Midfield
Max Meyer might be given the nod at the expense of James McArthur due to the former’s creative prowess. The German is expected to start alongside Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate in a three-man midfield setup.
Milivojevic has been in a rich vein of form this season. The 27-year-old has not only scored six goals in 22 Premier League appearances, but has also mustered 2.5 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, and 1.8 clearances per game on an average.
Attack
Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha are likely to operate as the wingers this weekend once again. Both of them flattered to deceive against Watford last weekend, and Palace need them at their best against a rock solid Liverpool defence.
Jordan Ayew is expected to lead the line. The Ghanaian has scored just one goal in 14 league appearances, but he can do himself a massive favour if he manages to find the back of the net or aid his teammates in doing so on Saturday.
Statistics Credits: Whoscored