Salah (left) and van dijk are the kingpins of the Reds, who will be seeking revenge. — AP
CRYSTAL Palace’s home game against champions Liverpool today pits the only two unbeaten teams in the Premier League against each other.
For Liverpool, it will be a case of exacting a measure of revenge for their Community Shield defeat in August.
There are those who tout the Community Shield as a warm-up fixture, given that it’s played the week before the start of the league season and is a one-off.
But not all clubs see it that way, and for that reason, Liverpool −who have made a perfect start to the new campaign − will want to continue in that vein and leave Palace wounded by the wayside, just as the Eagles did to the Reds at Wembley.
Oliver Glasner has made the Eagles a hard team to beat, and this was proven not only in the FA Cup triumph in May and the Community Shield, but also against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
Glasner will look to galvanise his defence at the expense of an attacking player and watch for a quick breakout to hurt the Reds.
It’s a ploy that has worked well for them, and one that Liverpool will need to keep an eye on if they’re to extend their 100% record in the league after five matches.
All talk of them leaving it late – as they have done – will not mean much to the champions if they win again.
Across all competitions this season, Liverpool have seven wins from seven. That’s a telling stat that Palace would do well to ruffle.
Captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were left out of the winning Carabao League Cup side against Southampton in midweek.
The quintet is expected back in action today, and for good reason.
But if Palace are to cause an upset, they’ll probably have to also keep Alexander Isak quiet, and to some extent, his striking partner Hugo Ekitike. — By SHAUN ORANGE
