We'd be lying if we said there were anything but ridiculously high hopes this year in Anfield. Liverpool is back in the Champions League this season, a move that should only provide a huge boon to the club. Challenging for the championship is probably just a tad out of reach at this point, but the Reds figure to bag their first victory of the season when they take on lowly Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Don't miss the English Premier League action from Anfield at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 19, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.
Opening Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool -265
Crystal Palace +650
Draw +400
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
For as bad as Palace was in its first match of the season against Huddersfield Town (more on that in a minute), it's easy to plop it down as a 13 to 2 underdog against Liverpool at Anfield.
The Reds are the -263 favorites, laying a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap for good reason. They're clearly the superior side with or without Philippe Coutinho in the fold for this one, and anything less than three points would have Jurgen Klopp answering a lot of questions in front of the media.
The total is extremely high here at a flat 3 with -130 vig on the over. But after Crystal Palace struggled so badly in defense against a team that is projected to have one of the worst offenses in the EPL this season, it's a wonder whether Liverpool could bag the four necessary to push this one past the total by itself.
Key Injuries
The Reds are far from complete right now. Coutinho is still being linked to Barcelona and figures to be transferred over the course of the next two weeks. Meanwhile, he's still recovering from a back injury and won't be in this matchup anyway. Adam Lallana is out with a thigh injury until October, while Mamadou Sakho is out with a knee problem. The news is better about Daniel Sturridge, as he has a thigh problem but is reportedly back in contention to make his '17-'18 debut in the top flight.
Palace is already a mess this season. Wilfried Zaha has to be one of the key pieces to the puzzle this year. He didn't miss the opener against Huddersfield Town, but he did wear a big knee brace and clearly wasn't himself. Connor Wickham and Papa Souare are out for a while, while Bakary Sako has been ruled out for this match and could miss the rest of the month. James McArthur, another huge piece to the puzzle for the Eagles this season, has been appearing with the reserve team here and there as he gets his fitness together for the season. Whether he's good enough to start on Saturday remains to be seen.
Recent Form
No team had a more embarrassing result than Crystal Palace to kick off the season. There were high hopes this year for a team that could at least challenge for a mid-table spot, but after getting thrashed 3-0 by Huddersfield Town, who knows what's going to happen?
Liverpool's defense was leaky as could be against Watford in the EPL opener last weekend. The 3-3 draw was highlighted by breakdown after breakdown at the back. The good news? The Reds did push one step closer to the UCL group stage after beating TSG Hoffenheim 2-1 on German soil on Tuesday night.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
At some point, Klopp has to make a bid for a defenseman or two. Joel Matip isn't cutting it in central defense, and James Milner looks like his best days are beyond him. Maybe getting back Nathaniel Clyne and Sakho at some point will change the fate of this team. But then again, maybe not.
The good news? Crystal Palace flat out doesn't have the strikers to take advantage of this. There were times last season when Palace looked plucky once again, notably against Chelsea towards the end of the season. Yet this team isn't one to be trusted quite yet on the road in a big time match. Will Palace be better in this one than against Huddersfield? Certainly. But there's a chasm between that performance and going on the road and getting a result at Anfield.
English Premier League Odds: Liverpool 3, Crystal Palace 1
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