Arsenal legend Paul Merson has backed Liverpool to pick up a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Place on Matchday 16 of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Merson Thinks A Depleted Crystal Palace Would Struggle Against Liverpool

Liverpool will travel to Selhurst Park for their Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon (December 9). The Reds are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United. Palace, meanwhile, lost 2-0 to Bournemouth in Gameweek 15.

In his column for Sportskeeda, Merson claimed it was a great time for the Merseysiders to play Palace, as they were struggling to play their best game without star pair Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard.

Merson wrote:

“Crystal Palace played an open game against West Ham United, but they are currently a bit depleted as the likes of Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard are injured. They’ll make it hard for Liverpool, but this is a good time for the Reds to play against Palace, so I fancy them to secure an easy 2-0 win.

“Liverpool have the luxury of rotating their forwards, but there’s absolutely no chance Mohamed Salah gets benched. He was withdrawn prematurely in their 2-0 win against Sheffield United, but I think he’ll be fit and raring to go on Saturday. Salah pretty much plays every game, but Klopp can afford to rotate his other forwards – they have four players for the remaining two positions and they are all around the same level. It’s a nice problem to have and it usually boils down to getting it right on the day.”

Crystal Palace Vs Liverpool: Head-To-Head Record

Liverpool and Crystal Palace have crossed paths 62 times over the years. The Merseysiders have an excellent record against the Eagles, having come out on top in 35 of those matches. Palace, meanwhile, have mustered 14 wins thus far.

There is, however, some encouragement for the hosts, as they have not been beaten by the 19-time English champions in their previous two meetings. Both of those matches resulted in a draw, with their last meeting in February 2023 ending goalless at Selhurst Park. Before the draws, however, Liverpool had beaten Palace a whopping 11 times on the bounce.