Liverpool v Crystal Palace Preview: Palace look to bounce back against a formidable Liverpool side.

Liverpool are unbeaten at Anfield in their last nine matches, yet have lost two of their last three in all competitions, including a disappointing defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad in a vital Premier League clash, and a third-round FA Cup exit at the hands of Wolves.

Crystal Palace are hoping to claim another big scalp this weekend, however, may come into this fixture low on confidence after losing 2-1 at home to Watford, despite going 1-0 up late in the first half; Roy Hodgson's men now only sit four points above the drop zone.

However, the Eagles possess a remarkable record at Anfield since returning to the top flight, having won three of their last four visits there in the league, including ruining a certain Steven Gerrard's last ever appearance at Anfield with a 3-1 victory back in 2015.

The Reds will be looking to retain their four-point lead at the top of the league, yet it won't be an easy test against a Palace side who were the last side to beat Liverpool at Anfield in the league back in April 2017.

What happened last time the two sides met?

The two sides met at Selhurst Park back in August in what was the second fixture of the new campaign; both sides went into the game having won their opening matches of the new term.

Liverpool got the better of Palace on this particular occasion, coming out 2-0 winners on the night in front of the Sky Sports cameras. A cagey first half concluded with a controversial penalty being awarded to Klopp's men when Mamadou Sakho was adjudged to have tripped Mohamed Salah inside the box; James Milner, as expected, converted the spot-kick to give Liverpool a slight advantage heading into the interval.

The contest seemed to slip away from Palace's grasp after 75 minutes when Aaron Wan-Bissaka was dismissed for bringing down Salah when he appeared to have been through on goal. The Reds then put the game to bed three minutes into stoppage time when Sadio Mane rounded Wayne Hennessey and slid the ball into an empty net to settle proceedings.

Team News

Liverpool stars, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Georginio Wijnaldum both picked up knocks in their win over Brighton last time out, however, both managed to complete 90 minutes.

Jurgen Klopp told the club website: "Gini and Trent, we will decide day by day. It’s of course not cool...for both, it will be really, really close for tomorrow. I don’t want to close any doors before anybody tells me I have to".

You feel as though Alexander-Arnold's fitness will be a priority considering the threat Palace pose down the flanks through Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend.

Joel Matip has returned to full fitness however the Merseyside outfit will still be without; Adam Lallana, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren.

Palace's long-serving keeper, Julian Speroni is set to make his first league appearance of the season, and possibly his last ever as the Eagles will be without both Wayne Hennessey and Vincente Guaita.

Pape Souare is still absent with a dislocated shoulder, however, former Liverpool forward, Christian Benteke is fully fit once again and he will look to haunt the Reds once more as he did back in April 2017 when he bagged a brace in a 2-1 win for the South London side.

Key Battle

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been one of Palace's best performers since making his senior debut last term and has impressed throughout, catching the eye of many top clubs. He has been a pivotal part of an impressive Palace defence so far this campaign, contributing to eight clean sheets, the most of any club outside the top six.

The next player to test the defensive capabilities of Wan-Bissaka, is Liverpool fan favourite, Sadio Mane. He has eight goals and one assist in the league thus far, yet will be far from a routine day at the office for the Senegalese international.