The walking wounded of Liverpool return to Premier League action with glum faces as they prepare to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday evening.

The Reds were demolished 5-2 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in midweek, while Patrick Vieira’s men were cruelly pegged back in a 1-1 draw against Brentford.

Brentford were not able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when Palace came to town last weekend, but the Bees denied Vieira’s men their first win of 2023 in any competition right at the death at the Gtech Community Stadium.

In a game of few clear-cut chances, Eberechi Eze connected with Michael Olise’s cross to head Palace in front with 69 minutes gone, but in the sixth minute of second-half injury time, Vitaly Janelt powered home a header of his own to force a share of the spoils.

The turn of the year hasn’t brought good fortune to Crystal Palace, who were seconds away from a first win of 2023 only to concede a heartbreaking equaliser in the dying seconds to draw 1-1 with Brentford last time out. That’s eight successive games without a victory now for Patrick Vieira’s men (D4, L4), making them the only winless Premier League (PL) club in all competitions this year.

The Eagles have therefore regressed in the PL standings, and even though they reign six-points above those in the bottom three prior to the weekend, their form offers no certainty they’ll stay out of relegation trouble for long. They return to Selhurst Park having secured three successive home draws against top-half opposition, although securing a first home win since October (D3, L3) would serve as the ultimate pressure release here.

Liverpool fans might be feeling a sense of ‘one step forward, two steps back’, as securing back-to-back 2-0 wins in league play before going 2-0 up in their midweek UEFA Champions League tie with Real Madrid might have had them thinking they turned the corner. Madrid then came storming back to hand them a 5-2 thumping, marking the first time Liverpool have conceded five goals at Anfield in the competition and reigniting the frustration that’s been apparent all season long.

Many therefore believe the best the Reds can hope for is a top-four finish, and given they’re currently seven points off Tottenham in fourth place with two games in hand, a sustainable uptick in form could make that a reality. Under-fire manager Jürgen Klopp will be hoping for yet another fruitful visit to Selhurst Park then, having won all seven of his managerial visits there with his team and amassing 22 goals in the process.

Players to watch: Eberechi Eze might serve as Palace’s good luck charm to break their torrid streak against Liverpool, as he’s only lost once in his career when getting on the scoresheet (W25, D5). For the visitors, Mohamed Salah has tormented Palace down the years, racking up 13 goal contributions (G7, A6) in his last eight meetings.

Hot stat: There have only been two scoreless first-halves in Liverpool’s last 14 matches.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:
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Liverpool Premier League form:
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Liverpool form (all competitions):
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Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Olise, Doucoure, Hughes, Eze; Ayew, Edouard

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Nunez, Jota

Brentford were not able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when Palace came to town last weekend, but the Bees denied Vieira’s men their first win of 2023 in any competition right at the death at the Gtech Community Stadium.

In a game of few clear-cut chances, Eberechi Eze connected with Michael Olise’s cross to head Palace in front with 69 minutes gone, but in the sixth minute of second-half injury time, Vitaly Janelt powered home a header of his own to force a share of the spoils.