Monday Night Cracker in SE London
If there’s one fixture from the Premier League calendar which guarantees goals it’s when Crystal Palace play host to Liverpool. No fewer than 22 have been shared between the two over the past five seasons and convincing opening day performances for both leads me to think the first Monday Night Football of the new campaign will be loaded with GOALS!
Crystal Palace
Palace, after one game, already have more points and goals on the board than they managed in the first seven fixtures of last season. So poor was their start, that relegation seemed almost inevitable. But this Palace side are a far cry from then and have come on leaps and bounds since the appointment of Roy Hodgson almost a year ago.
Expect Palace to give Liverpool’s backline plenty to think about.
And so there’s a positive vibe emanating from Selhurst Park this term, further boosted by the new contract signed by talisman Wilfied Zaha and an encouraging opening result away at Fulham. Backing this up against a strong Liverpool side may prove difficult but expect Palace, roared on by a bumper home crowd and led by Zaha, to give Liverpool’s backline plenty to think about.
Liverpool
The Reds, thought to be the main contenders to challenge Manchester City, kicked off their season with an emphatic win over West Ham last Sunday. It’s true that The Hammers were pretty awful but an unrelenting desire to add to their tally until the very end, even though the three points were secure, typifies Liverpool and the attack-minded nature of this talented bunch.
They have the ability to outscore any team in the league.
It’s fair to say Selhurst Park hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for Liverpool – the capitulation when 3-0 up to eventually draw 3-3 springs to mind, as I’m sure it does most Reds fans given its significance then. But this team built by Klopp resembles a different beast entirely and you sense they have the ability in their ranks with Mane, Firminho and Salah to outscore any team in the league.
Match Tip
It looks set to be a lively Monday night down in SE25 as two teams full of attacking intent face off with the aim of maintaining a 100% start. I can’t see anything other than a goal fest so, for me, it’s Over 3.5 goals in the game at superb odds of 6/4 with Unibet.
Post bet chat Nick's Tips:
A penalty, a red card and two goals amounted to the drama of this fixture this time round. Both sides displayed plenty of attacking intent to make it an entertaining affair but, in the end, the scoreline was probably a fair reflection of how the two teams performed.