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Team News

The Merseyside club are fielding an youthful lineup, most of first-team players omitted. Milos Kerkez, desperate to play himself into some form, is the only player to start again after the 3-2 defeat at Thomas Frank’s side last weekend. Reserve keeper Freddie Woodman and teenage wide player Morrison earn maiden appearances, while the team also boasts 17-year-old winger Ngumoha and youthful engine room player the playmaker. None of the substitutes is over 21; Gordon is the bench player with most games with nine senior appearances on his record.

Crystal Palace by contrast retain six players from the team sent out for the reverse at the Gunners on Sunday. Guéhi, Maxence Lacroix, Muñoz, Sarr, Yéremy Pino and The midfielder all hold onto their shirts. He has several finishes against Liverpool in eight matches for both clubs, while one of the players coming into the side, Eddie Nketiah, netted the decisive goal when the teams faced off at Selhurst Park last month.

Confirmed Lineups

Anfield outfit: Freddie Woodman, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Joe Gomez, The left-back, The midfielder, Milos Kerkez, Kieran Morrison, Mac Allister, Ngumoha, The forward.
Substitutes: Pecsi, Kaide Gordon, Pilling, The talent, Pinnington, Figueroa, The sub, Lucky, The reserve.

Crystal Palace: Benitez, Canvot, The centre-back, Guehi, Munoz, The midfielder, Kamada, The wing-back, Sarr, Pino, The striker.
Subs: The keeper, Tyrick Mitchell, The midfielder, Uche, Mateta, The full-back, The youngster, Devenny, Cardines.

Match referee: The referee (The region).

Preamble

The Merseysiders have often struggled against Crystal Palace as tricky foes. Not invariably – they have more victories – but when the London club overcome the Reds, they land a blow, and hit hard. Their 1990 cup meeting. The 2014 thriller. This season’s Community Shield. Last month’s fixture that triggered this dramatic downturn of Liverpool’s title-winning team, Liverpool’s first loss in a string of losses.

Consider another couple of sequences into the mix. Of the last eight meetings between the clubs, Palace have won three (including the Community Shield as a win), the Reds just two wins. More concerning the Reds are the recent results at their home ground: Palace have won one and drawn two of the last three. The Londoners have a distinct advantage over Liverpool at the moment.

However, Palace are in a dip in form of their own. They have suffered three defeats of their fixtures in all competitions, without a victory domestically since that previously mentioned loss-inducing Liverpool’s trip to Selhurst Park. So here are two sides who need a bolt of season-reviving energy. That alone should give us a good possibility of some entertaining action tonight, though any broader implications may depend on what sides the two managers decide to select; it’s doubtful to be full-strength teams. We will see about that in due course. The start is at 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!