Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 7
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Selhurst Park
London, England
Saturday, 5 October 2024
Kick-off is at 13h30
Crystal Palace will go in search of their first win in the new season when they welcome Premier League leaders Liverpool to Selhurst Park on Saturday, October 5 in the lunchtime kick-off.
The Eagles impressed under Oliver Glasner in the final three months of 2023-24 as they went unbeaten in their last seven matches to finish a respectable 10th in the standings.
However, results haven't gone their way in the opening two months of the current campaign and a 2-1 defeat to fellow strugglers Everton on September 28 left Glasner's side winless in six games.
Only Wolves (20th) and Southampton (19th) have fared worse than Palace, who are kept in the relegation zone on goal difference behind Leicester (17th), with both teams having picked up three points thus far.
The Reds bounced back from their first loss of the season by registering successive wins against Bournemouth (3-0) and Wolves (2-1) to climb above Manchester City into top spot.
Arne Slot's side still have the best defensive record in the league despite shipping one goal against the Old Gold at Molineux on September 28.
In team news, the hosts remain without Chris Richards (thigh), Cheick Doucoure (ankle) and Chadi Riad (knee), while Matheus Franca (chest) is still rated doubtful. Darwin Nunez is back in contention for the visitors after recovering from an illness, although Diogo Jota (ankle) will be assessed and Harvey Elliott (ankle) is definitely unavailable.
Glasner has urged his players to keep working hard in a bid to regain the momentum they had at the end of last term.
"Yes, we're not pleased having this start," the Austrian said. "I mentioned this before, but I think everybody forgot because of the last seven games at the end of the season, but we've been in the same situation seven rounds before the end of [last] season.
"So we don't want to be there, we're not happy to be there, we're not happy that we don't have a win, but we also can see the players investing a lot to score a goal, to play, to create situations... but at the moment it's not going so easy.
"There are two different ways you can deal with the situation: blame the other ones, blame whoever, or - start with yourself changing something, and not bury your head in the sand.
"You roll your sleeves up and keep going, because mentality is great, character is great, we have to find [a way to] get the momentum back, and we will try it next week against Liverpool of course."
Image copyright: Getty Images
Slot isn't reading too much into his side being top of the table after six matches, insisting there is still a long way to go before anyone can start thinking of winning the title.
"It's almost ideal that we played Wolves today because we are top and they're last and they absolutely don't deserve to be last," the Dutchman said.
"We still have to prove that when we come across Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea [and] Aston Villa [to see] if we can then still be up there with Champions League games included as well."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Palace wins - 1
Liverpool wins - 2
Draws - 2
Premier League Matchday 7 fixtures:
Saturday, October 5
13h30: Crystal Palace v Liverpool
16h00: Arsenal v Southampton
16h00: Brentford v Wolverhampton Wanderers
16h00: Leicester City v Bournemouth
16h00: Manchester City v Fulham
16h00: West Ham United v Ipswich Town
18h30: Everton v Newcastle United
Sunday, October 6
15h00: Aston Villa v Manchester United
15h00: Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
17h30: Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham Hotspur
Bet on the English Premier League
Kick off your sports betting journey & place a winning bet with our exciting Sports Welcome Offer where you’ll get up to R1,000 as a Free Bet when you make your first deposit.
Stand to win big with Live Games
Enjoy your favourite Live Casino Games from as little as R1 per bet with massive winning potential of up to R5 million on some selected games. Unlock all your favourite Live Games today and take a seat at your favourite tables to take on the dealer head-on.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram