Crystal Palace Hopeful Of Huge Result Against Liverpool

Henry Swain previews Palace's clash with Liverpool.

Crystal Palace host Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side in a huge Premier League clash at Selhurst Park. Palace will be looking to finally produce a positive performance, and if they fail to do so it could be costly for Pierre Sage in terms of his future at the club.

Palace come into the game off the back of a disappointing performance in midweek, which was saved by a late Daichi Kamada equaliser. Liverpool will also be looking to bounce back after a difficult away trip to Istanbul, where they were beaten by Fenerbahçe 3-2.

Liverpool will be looking to close the gap on those sides at the top of the table, and a win could put them into the top four depending on results elsewhere on Sunday afternoon.

For Palace , full focus has to be on somehow finding a result to kickstart the season. Nottingham Forest found that exact performance against Manchester City on Saturday evening, and it feels as if Palace are almost desperate for a similar performance and result at home to one of the division's top sides.

In the last ten games in all competitions, Palace actually edge out on top very slightly. Four wins betters Liverpool's three, with three also ending level.

Until last season's trip to Anfield, Palace were unbeaten against the Reds in the previous four games, which included the Community Shield final of course. Last season, including that penalty shootout win, Palace beat Liverpool three times.

A 3-1 win at Anfield in the Carabao Cup came after Palace had beaten the Reds at Selhurst Park courtesy of a last minute Eddie Nketiah strike.

There have been a number of memorable encounters between the two sides, but overall, Liverpool do completely dominate the fixture. In games at Selhurst Park in the Premier League, Liverpool have won eleven, with Palace coming out victorious on just three occasions.

Ismaïla Sarr has been a key figure for Palace against Liverpool in recent seasons, but Pierre Sage will be without the forward who remains injured until after the international break.

Aside from a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham in the Carabao Cup, Palace have not won a game in the last seven, which has seen the pressure pile high on the shoulders of manager Pierre Sage, who could face the sack if another bad performance is produced in this game.

The biggest issue as of late has been the manner of the defeats, not necessarily the scorelines themselves. Palace are playing without a clear identity, and there have been multiple games where they've simply not looked like a Premier League side.

With the international break beginning just after this game, it would be a good time to bring a new man in if that is the plan. It's unlikely that many of Palace's players will be selected for their international sides considering the levels of performance that they have been producing this season, which would give a manager time on the training pitch with them.

The issue is, is that time is something that was never afforded to Sage himself, so if the club choose to stick, it could well be that a couple of weeks on the grass is exactly what Palace need.

Expecting a win against Liverpool is unrealistic, but the bare minimum expectation will be a gutsy performance, where Palace at the very least compete with their opponents.

If they can do that, Sage may just earn himself some more time, and the opportunity to take on both Hull City and Coventry following the break.