CRYSTAL PALACE will be hoping to pile more misery on Liverpool in the Premier League after Jurgen Klopp's side were humiliated in the Champions League by Real Madrid.
I thought betting on the Bernabeu giants to go through before a ball was kicked was the wise option for punters and their price will have now plummeted after that epic 5-2 Anfield victory on Tuesday night.
The defensive frailties that have undermined Liverpool's season were ruthlessly punished by the European champions as Real Madrid stormed back from 2-0 down to run riot.
It had looked like Klopp's team were tightening things up after successive clean sheets in domestic football but the way they were dismantled will give Crystal Palace plenty of hope heading into this game.
Patrick Vieira's men impressed me greatly last season but they have underperformed in this campaign and sit just six points clear of the drop zone in a congested bottom half of the table.
Turning draws into wins will hold the key to climbing the table, with four of their last five Premier League matches ending in stalemates. The Eagles still haven't won a game in 2023, with their last victory coming on Hogmanay at Bournemouth, and need to get more points on the board to ease their relegation fears.
How the bookies view it
Crystal Palace are as big as 4/1 with SpreadEx and plenty of punters will fancy a nibble after watching Liverpool collapse in midweek. The Reds are a best 10/13 with SBK while another draw for the Eagles pays 3/1 at BetUK. I'm going to back Vieira's side in the double chance market, where they are priced 11/10 at Unibet.
Recent head to head
Liverpool have battered Crystal Palace in recent years, with a 7-0 win at Selhurst Park in 2020 the highlight of 10 victories in their last 11 meetings. But Palace will take heart from the fact they drew 1-1 at Anfield earlier this season.
Players to watch
Vieira keeps chopping and changing his forwards so it's hard to tell who will start up front. With Jean-Philippe Mateta drawing blanks on his last two starts, Odsonne Edouard could get the nod up top for this one and the former Celtic striker is 10/3 at Unibet for anytime scorer.
Klopp will probably make a few changes after Liverpool's Euro humbling and Diogo Jota might get his first start since returning from injury. He has come off the bench in the last three games and is 41/20 at Unibet for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
I'd be surprised if we didn't see plenty of goalmouth action as Liverpool's games have been so open of late. BTTS is a tempting 5/6 at Unibet while over 2.5 goals is the same price at Betway. Combining those two selections in a Bet365 bet builder boosts the odds to 6/5.
There was plenty of aggro when these sides faced off at Anfield with Darwin Nunez sent off for sticking the head on wind-up merchant Joachim Andersen. Six yellow cards were also dished out and that bad blood could spill over. Over 3.5 cards is 5/6 at Bet365 who price Andersen at a tempting 4/1 to fall foul of the ref.
This English Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool will be played on Feb 25, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Crystal Palace vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
