Paul Merson is expecting recent trend to be bucked with emphatic Liverpool v Palace prediction

Paul Merson is predicting Liverpool to buck a recent trend when they play host to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Reds have the opportunity to open an eight-point gap to sixth-placed Brighton at the weekend, and a win would put them on the brink of securing Champions League qualification for next season.

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Meanwhile, the Eagles sit 13th in the table and will have a Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk next week, with a first-ever piece of European silverware well within reach for Oliver Glasner’s side.

With Liverpool enjoying a minor resurgence after the wins over Fulham and Everton, and Palace facing a massive continental fixture next Thursday, Merson believes the Reds will take another big step towards securing a top-five finish at the weekend.

Merson gives Liverpool v Palace prediction

In his weekly Premier League predictions column for Sportskeeda, he wrote: ‘I can’t see anything but a Liverpool win here. Crystal Palace have a big game coming up in the Conference League against Shakhtar Donetsk next Thursday.

‘Honestly, Palace’s season entirely depends on the next two Thursdays, when they play Shakhtar over two legs in the semi-final of the Conference League. They have done enough to stay up in the Premier League and should now put all their eggs in one basket to try and win that trophy!

‘Liverpool got a massive result last weekend in the derby against Everton. They are now five points ahead of Brighton and could open that gap up to eight points with a win here. If Liverpool get three points in this game, I’d be shocked if they still miss out on Champions League football next season.’

In predicting a 3-0 home win at Anfield, Merson concluded: ‘I don’t expect Crystal Palace to win another Premier League match this season! Comfortable win for Liverpool here.’

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Merson’s prediction goes against recent history of this fixture

Whatever you might make of the Sky Sports pundit’s logic, the recent history of this fixture certainly doesn’t point towards a three-goal victory for the Reds on Saturday.

Palace are unbeaten in their last four visits to Anfield, with two wins and two draws in that time, and tthey haven’t lost away to Liverpool since a 3-0 defeat in September 2021, with only four of our starting XI from that day still playing for LFC.

This is the fifth meeting between the teams in the past year, and the Eagles haven’t lost any of the other four. After a 1-1 draw on the final day of last season, they prevailed on penalties in the Community Shield, won 2-1 at Selhurst Park in September and then hammered us in the Carabao Cup a month later.

In fact, Liverpool have won only two of their last nine games against the south Londoners, who’ve proven to be Arne Slot’s Kryptonite since he took charge of the Reds a couple of years ago (barring a 1-0 away victory in October 2024).

While Merson has declared Palace’s remaining top-flight fixtures a write-off in the context of their Conference League exploits, they’re only five points behind Chelsea in eighth with two games in hand, and European qualification via domestic placing certainly isn’t out of the question.

We’d absolutely love for the pundit’s prediction to be accurate and for LFC to record an emphatic victory, but given our recent history against an in-form Eagles side whose only defeat in their last eight matches was an inconsequential one away to Fiorentina last week.

Right now, we’d happily shake on a guarantee of three points for Liverpool in any way, shape or form.

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