please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Liverpool are back in Barclays Premier League action when Crystal Palace visit Anfield on Saturday afternoon. The Reds climbed to second in the standings with their victory over Sunderland and have won four of their six fixtures in 2013-14. Preview "Lift your voice JP! This penalty will make all the difference." I can still hear the voice of the Capital Gold producer, shouting into my earphones, 24 years after I sat in the Anfield commentary box. It was a spot-kick to Crystal Palace at mighty Liverpool. The trouble is, they were already 6-0 down. It wasn't going to make much difference. It didn't. Geoff Thomas missed and Liverpool romped to their biggest top-flight win - 9-0 with eight different scorers, the only time that's happened. The way Liverpool have started the season, their fans could be forgiven for dreaming of similar fun and frolics. Palace supporters, meanwhile, will be dreaming of a repeat of the epic Villa Park FA Cup semi-final later that season, which the Eagles won 4-3. But given how newly-promoted Palace have started this campaign, only their most optimistic fans will expect similar thrills on Saturday. The return of Luis Suarez to complement Daniel Sturridge gives Liverpool formidable firepower. The Uruguayan has 18 goals in his last 21 games, while the Englishman has 18 in 24 Reds appearances. Liverpool look far too strong for the visitors. Whether their squad has the strength to stay in the top four all season is debatable. But Brendan Rodgers has made good signings and is assembling a squad to challenge for silverware again soon. Palace are struggling. Given their budget, I can understand their policy of bringing in some players with chequered reputations. They come with experience, are cheaper in the market and on their day can change games. The corrosive effect of three successive defeats without scoring will have bitten into the dressing room optimism of five months ago. Ian Holloway is just the man to get them going again but he urgently needs to settle on his strongest side. However, they will have a decent spell. November is a crucial month for them with winnable games. As for this weekend, it won't be 9-0. But I can't see anything other than a Suarez homecoming fiesta. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head Crystal Palace have won three of their last four games against Liverpool, including a League Cup win at Selhurst Park in 2005 and FA Cup victory at Anfield in 2003. Palace's only previous league win away to the Reds was on 2 November 1991, when Marco Gabbiadini and Geoff Thomas scored for the visitors. Liverpool Liverpool played five league games at Anfield during Luis Suarez's ban for biting. Those matches produced a total of four goals. Defeat would see the Reds lose back-to-back Premier League home games for the first time since September 2012, when Arsenal and then Manchester United beat them. Eight of Liverpool's last 12 Premier League goals have been scored by Daniel Sturridge. Crystal Palace The Eagles are winless in 16 Premier League away matches (D5, L11), a run dating back to a 1-0 victory at Birmingham in October 2004. They have lost all four of their away games this season in league and cup. Ian Holloway's men have failed to score in 11 of their last 18 league games (including play-off matches), scoring 13 times in total. Palace and Sunderland are the only teams yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this term. . Predicted line ups - Liverpool - ----------Mig Toure Skrtel Agger Enrique - Henderson Gerrard --------Alberto* Suarez Sturridge Moses *don't think he'll start, I want him too though Crystal Palace - (don't know how they line up. Gonna take their team they played against Swansea) 01 Speroni 02 Ward 03 Mariappa 19 Gabbidon 21 Moxey 08 Dikgacoi 15 Jedinak 46 Bannan 16 Gayle 28 Kebe 29 Chamakh Substitutes 34 Price 04 Parr 06 Campana 12 O'Keefe 14 Thomas 09 Phillips 30 Jerome Liverpool injuries - Coutinho: Shoulder Agger: Rib Johnson: Ankle Kelly: Not match fit Allen: Hamstring Cissokho: Ankle My prediction - 3-0 to us. Suarez, Sturridge and Moses with the goals. I'll be at work for this game so won't be able to watch it (which is a good sign! But also means I won't be able to update the scores or teams) YNWA! Ps - I can't work out how to add large pictures on my iPad so mods feel free to do it yourself
You think Gerrard dm then? Why didnt we sign a dm, urgently needed in Jan ffs Allen will prob play instead of Alberto Please BR do not put Allen dm
That isn't hard though, but it's not quite quite up to the standard It's harder to do it on the iPad, on my laptop it'd be easier.
Liverpool injuries - Coutinho: Shoulder Agger: Rib Johnson: Ankle Kelly: Not match fit Allen: Hamstring Cissokho: Ankle Agger and Cissokho are going to be fit, but not sure if they are going to play.
Cissokho will def play if he does enough training this week BR looked dead pissed off with Enrique when he failed to control a ball on Sun
Suppose you could bring Gerrard forward and have Henderson playing DM on his own, I put Allen in originally but then saw he was injured still. So thought I'd just go with Alberto, but like you say he won't play either.
We cant have Henderson dm, he'd be too clumsy in the tackle in an important position. Would he give away more free kicks than Lucas though? .This is the prob we all said would happen if we didnt sign a dm
Being at home against Palace we have to go for it and a central midfield pairing of Gerrard and Hendo should be good enough with neither playing a DM role.
Will be interesting to see how we cope without Lucas, if we don't cope very well will it then force Brendan to buy another DM in January? I hope so tbh.
You say that.....but we know how we are dont we! Games we should win. Im not expecting them to be as good as Southampton though fingers crossed. Dont forget Sunderland had over 20 attempts at our goal on Sun! We do have to go for it, but they will counter us so one of them will have to stay further back
With due respect to C.Palace Lucas's one match ban couldn't have come at a better time. We should have more than enough to take the points at the weekend,I can only see Palace going straight back to the Championship.Probably finish bottom of the pile.