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2022/23 English Premier League
Matchday 25
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Selhurst Park
London, England
Saturday, 25 February 2023
Kick-off is at 19h45
Liverpool will be targeting three consecutive
Premier League wins for only the second time this season when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, February 25.
The Reds halted a three-match winless run when they beat Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby on February 13 and followed it up with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle last Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp's side have struggled to replicate the form which saw them push Manchester City for the title in 2021-22 until the final day and just once have they won more than three games in a row this term.
The Merseyside giants moved up to eighth position after their success on Tyneside but they are still six points adrift of the European places and a further point behind Tottenham, who occupy the final Champions League spot.
Liverpool are tied with Brighton (7th) and Brentford (9th) on 25 points and find themselves sandwiched between the two clubs.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are in danger of seeing a promising start to the campaign fizzle out after a 1-1 draw with the Bees last Saturday extended their winless streak to seven matches.
Patrick Vieira's team have only lost one of their last five league encounters, however, and took points off Manchester United, the Magpies and the Seagulls recently.
Palace sit 12th in the standings, six points clear of the relegation zone and five shy of Chelsea, who occupy 10th position.
Eberechi Eze is on course to surpass his personal best tally of four goals in a season for the Eagles, having equalled that feat with the in the draw at Brentford last time out. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder was a regular starter under Vieira earlier in the season but has been used as an impact substitute more recently.
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Cody Gakpo took a few games to settle but looks to have found his scoring boots after bagging two goals in his last two outings against Everton and Newcastle. The Netherlands international was a prolific goalscorer for PSV, having found the back of the net nine times in 14 Eredivisie appearances before making the switch to Anfield last month.
In team news, the hosts continue to be without talisman Wilfried Zaha (thigh), while Joel Ward (leg), James Tomkins and Nathan Ferguson could return in the next fortnight. The visitors are missing a number of first-team regulars, with Thiago Alcantara (groin) and Luis Diaz (knee) at least a month away from making their comebacks, although Ibrahima Konate and Arthur Melo (thigh) are making good progress with their recoveries. Darwin Nunez (shoulder) is rated doubtful.
Vieira feels the south Londoners haven't had the rub of the green lately but conceded bad decision-making in the final third hasn't helped their cause.
"We had situations where we didn't make the right decision in the offensive transitions, but at the minute we are unlucky. It's important for us to keep our heads up, keep working and to try to turn things around," the Frenchman said.
Klopp declared the result against Toon as huge but stressed the importance of producing consistent performances if they hope to make a late surge for Champions League football.
"Massive, massive, massive," the German replied when asked how important that win was. "I don't think we are in a position now where we can have a big mouth and say, 'We are here and go again.'
"It is obvious we are in a better place than we were a couple of weeks ago but there's still space for improvement and we have to show consistency.
"Palace is a tough place to go as well, so we have to keep going. When you are in the position we are in, there is no alternative to consistency to get out of it."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Palace - 0
Liverpool - 4
Draws - 1
Premier League fixtures - matchday 25:
Friday, February 24
20h00: Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Saturday, February 25
15h00: Everton v Aston Villa
15h00: Leeds United v Southampton
15h00: Leicester City v Arsenal
15h00: West Ham United v Nottingham Forest
17h30: Bournemouth v Manchester City
19h45: Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Sunday, February 26
13h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
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