Guide to the opposition: Crystal Palace
Ahead of Liverpool's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, read our guide to the opposition - including recent form, familiar faces and the key players to watch out for.
The manager
Former Reds boss Roy Hodgson took the reins at Selhurst Park in mid-September, replacing Frank de Boer after Palace began the season with four consecutive Premier League defeats.
The 70-year-old, an Eagles supporter as a child, has improved fortunes for the south London club since his appointment – though the threat of relegation remains.
A 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town before the international break lifted Hodgson’s side out of the bottom three, however. James Tomkins and Luka Milivojevic scored the goals at John Smith’s Stadium.
Recent form
That timely victory over the Terriers was Palace’s first in the league since January 13, when Burnley were beaten by a single goal at Selhurst Park.
A run of four consecutive losses preceded it – Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea each took three points at their expense.
Consolation perhaps comes from the fact that there was only one goal difference in each of those results apart from the trip to Goodison Park, though on the other hand Hodgson’s men squandered a two-goal advantage against United.
The last meeting
Liverpool’s first home league match of the season saw Palace visit Anfield in August.
The Eagles provided stubborn resistance to a Reds team that had scored three on the road at Watford the previous weekend, with the score goalless up until the 73rd minute.
But Sadio Mane, who would go on to be voted the Premier League Player of the Month, profited from a fortuitous bounce after industrious pressing from Dominic Solanke to prod the winner beyond Wayne Hennessey at the Kop end.
Watch: Highlights of LFC 1-0 Palace
The key players
Midfielder Milivojevic has weighed in with eight goals for the Eagles this term.
The Serb tops the passing chart for his team, too, with 1,265 to date. No Palace player has made more tackles (73) while only Yohan Cabaye can better his tally of interceptions.
Milivojevic and Andros Townsend are the most-used members of the squad, each featuring in 29 of the club’s 31 Premier League matches so far.
Familiar faces
Palace list ex-Reds Christian Benteke, Martin Kelly and Mamadou Sakho in their ranks.
Benteke made the switch from Anfield in the summer of 2016 after 42 appearances and 10 goals for Liverpool, while Kelly clocked up 62 games before joining the Eagles four years ago.
Sakho played 80 times during his stay with the club, which began in the summer of 2013 and ended with a move to Selhurst Park last August.
Hodgson also recently bolstered his goalkeeping ranks with the signing of Diego Cavalieri, who had a two-year spell here earlier in his career.
The quote
“He’s certainly showing that [he is one of the best in the world] this season. I’ve never worked with him so can only talk from having watched him. He must be delighted to be performing in that top bracket of players. The only way you can prevent quality players is through the collective work of the team.”
Hodgson on Mohamed Salah and Liverpool