English League Cup: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

An out of sorts Liverpool are set to host Crystal Palace - the team that set off their recent slump in domestic football - in the English League Cup on Thursday morning New Zealand time.

A five-star Champions League evening in Frankfurt is the only success Arne Slot’s men have to show for their last five outings. However, only one of those losses came at Anfield, so NZ betting sites are still keeping their faith in Liverpool ahead of this clash. 

Palace have already got one over on Liverpool this season in the league, plus they nicked the Community Shield too. So, this should be another challenging encounter for Liverpool. 

Read on as we preview the clash and discuss the smartest betting picks for Liverpool vs Crystal Palace.

Liverpool

Thursday morning’s win in Frankfurt offered a flicker of optimism for Liverpool fans, but Brentford gave them a reality check soon after. The Bees thoroughly outplayed the defending Premier League champions, much to the surprise of football betting sites, and deservingly left the pitch with all three points. 

For all the $900-odd million splashed on summer reinforcements, Liverpool have rarely looked convincing this season. Defensive lapses continue to plague them, and they haven’t managed a clean sheet since that mid-September trip to Burnley.

Liverpool squeezed through the last round thanks to Alexander Isak's first goal in a Reds shirt and a late winner from Hugo Ekitike (who then got himself sent off right after sealing the 2-1 victory against Southampton).

Team News: Jeremie Frimpong might miss out again after picking up a hamstring injury against Frankfurt.

Predicted Lineup: Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike.

Crystal Palace

Though not quite as bleak as Liverpool’s situation, Crystal Palace are going through a rough patch of their own. Oliver Glasner’s side are winless in their last three matches heading into their Premier League clash with Arsenal, and betting apps in New Zealand are tipping the Eagles’ drought to stretch to four when they visit Anfield.

Glasner insists that the recent shock defeat to Cypriot side AEK Larnaca will help keep his players humble. However, his team will need to rediscover the “fear no one” mentality they showed earlier in the season if they’re to pile more misery on a struggling Liverpool side.

Palace won the FA Cup last season, so the Eagles will believe that they have a realistic chance of adding the Carabao Cup to their club’s trophy cabinet this season.

Team News: Crystal Palace did not report any fresh injuries after the Larnaca match, but that might change after their weekend trip to fellow Londoners Arsenal.

Predicted Lineup: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Mateta.

• Liverpool are yet to lose back-to-back matches at Anfield under Slott. 
• Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last three trips to Anfield (1W, 2D).
• Both teams have scored in each of the last three Liverpool vs Crystal Palace matches.

Only a few  weeks ago, Liverpool seemed unstoppable. Slot’s men were not the most impressive side in England, but they somehow managed to grind out victories. But now, it seems like they have forgotten how to win a football match on English soil. 

Palace have also lost momentum in recent matches, but they enter this clash in a much better position. The Championship side did make life difficult for them in the third round, but they showed great resilience to avoid an upset.

The Londoners did not enjoy their last trip to Merseyside, when they lost to Everton, but a win against a misfiring Liverpool side on the road seems quite possible.

Jean-Philippe Mateta to Score Two or More Goals @ $17.00 

Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored only twice against Liverpool, but one of those goals came a few months ago in the Community Shield match. The Frenchman has been in excellent form for Palace this season, and we fancy his chance of scoring at least twice against a shaky Liverpool backline that has been quite error-prone lately. With odds of $17 at Bet and Play, we like Mateta to bag a brace.