Liverpool head to Selhurst Park for a difficult Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace, with Oliver Glasner’s side unbeaten in 17 matches.
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool
Premier League (6) | Selhurst Park
September 27, 2025 | 3pm (BST)
Liverpool are top of the league, through in the Carabao Cup and have won their opening Champions League match – all is rosy for the Reds.
However, they now come up against the last team that beat them, albeit on penalties and in the Community Shield.
If Liverpool come through this weekend with maximum points, we could be looking at a team with the mentality to sweep aside everyone in their path this season.
1. Hugo Ekitike is suspended
As you are probably aware, Hugo Ekitike will miss the match due to the two yellow cards he picked up against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
The suspension will last just one game, thankfully, meaning he will be back against Galatasaray on Tuesday and also able to face Chelsea next weekend.
Safe to say Ekitike won’t be making the same mistake again after the dressing down he got from his teammates and manager!
2. Team news
Liverpool’s clean bill of health is no more due to Giovanni Leoni‘s ACL injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of the season.
It means that the Reds are left with only Joe Gomez as a senior centre-half to replace Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate, should they get injured or need a rest.
Aside from Ekitike and Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic is Liverpool’s only other absentee. The young Spaniard is still recovering from hamstring surgery that he underwent at the end of May.
3. Starting XI prediction
Due to Ekitike’s suspension, we will likely see Alexander Isak start his first league match for Liverpool.
Following his excellent performance in midweek, Federico Chiesa could have been an option through the middle, but Arne Slot seemingly confirmed he would be on the bench.
“It’s also a chance for him (Chiesa) now to be on the bench and maybe get minutes with Hugo not being there,” said Slot on Friday.
Barring Isak for Ekitike and the possible inclusion of Florian Wirtz, we would expect the team that beat Everton to start again this weekend.
Predicted XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
4. Crystal Palace are unbeaten in 17 matches
As mentioned above, Crystal Palace come into this game full of confidence, having gone 17 matches unbeaten.
The Eagles have taken nine points from their opening five games of the season, leaving them in fifth position, just one point behind second-place Arsenal.
Last week was a great week for the club, beating rivals Millwall on penalties in the Carabao Cup and winning 2-1 away at West Ham in the Premier League.
• READ: Marc Guehi is “class act” and ‘expected’ to join Liverpool – the Crystal Palace view
5. Crystal Palace team news
Glasner is expected to stick with a similar team to the one that has had a full week to recover from their victory over West Ham.
A back five of Daniel Munoz, Marc Guehi, Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell will be difficult for Liverpool to break down, and they will need to ensure they keep Jean Philippe Mateta quiet up front.
Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino were both potential doubts, but Glasner said on Friday that they are “ready” and “available” respectively.
Predicted XI: Henderson; Guehi, Richards, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Mateta
6. Arne Slot’s assessment of Crystal Palace
Arne Slot is well aware of the threat Palace possess, and he had plenty of praise for Saturday’s opposition.
The Dutchman told the press: “They have an enormous discipline defensively. Ten outfield players plus a goalkeeper that work so hard to prevent the other team from scoring.
“We saw this also in the Charity Shield. Even the moments when we were up, they could still be very disciplined and calm in their own half in their mid-to-low block.
“And we saw this during the week when we played Southampton, who were disciplined against us, how hard it is to play through them.
“And apart from that, but that’s for every team in the Premier League, they have some individual quality, some individual players who are a big threat offensively. Mateta is one of them.”
7. A happy hunting ground
Liverpool have won nine and drawn one of the last 10 league visits to Selhurst Park, the exception being in February 2023.
They have scored at least twice in eight of the last 10 league visits to Palace, and they have failed to score in only two of the last 24 league meetings home and away.
Liverpool have netted five times in the last six league clashes after scoring 25 in the seven immediately before this sequence.
8. Who is the referee?
Chris Kavanagh is the man refereeing Saturday’s match, with Dan Cook and Adam Nunn appointed as his assistants.
On the sidelines, Sam Allison will act as fourth official, while Matt Donohue is the VAR and will be assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis, the official who elbowed Andy Robertson in 2023.
This is the third time Kavanagh will have taken charge of the Reds this season, after refereeing the Community Shield and Liverpool’s win over Arsenal at Anfield.
9. Not on UK TV
The match isn’t on television in the UK due to the 3pm blackout, meaning there is no legal to way for fans to watch it unless you are Selhurst Park.
If you are abroad, however, you can check our TV streams article kick off to see how you can watch where you are in the world.
For those of you in the UK, the match will be on BBC Radio 5 Live, but you might be best off following on our liveblog which will be up 45 minutes before kick-off!
10. Follow the match with TIA
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool kicks off at 3pm (BST).
TIA’s matchday live blog will be up and running from 2.15pm, with Harry McMullen tasked with keeping you entertained and up-to-date.
Come on you Reds!
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