Preview: Crystal Palace vs Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

The two remaining unbeaten records in the 2025-26 Premier League season will be on the line on Saturday, as Community Shield foes Crystal Palace and Liverpool reunite at Selhurst Park.

While neither side is yet to suffer the bitter taste of defeat in the top flight this term, the Eagles' failures to convert draws into wins mean they lie four places and six points adrift of the perfect champions in the embryonic rankings.

Match preview

Boasting the longest ongoing unbeaten run of any Premier League side, Crystal Palace are aiming to make it 12 top-flight games without losing on Saturday afternoon; only once have they managed that feat before, doing so under Steve Coppell in 1990.

Oliver Glasner oversaw his 11th straight Premier League match without defeat on September 20, as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell goals either side of a Jarrod Bowen response carried Palace to a 2-1 London derby victory over West Ham United on the road.

Bowen's equaliser was just the second top-flight goal that the Eagles have shipped all season - the joint-best defensive record in the division alongside Arsenal - and the early-season omens could hardly be more positive for the FA Cup holders.

Indeed, the last time Palace went unbeaten in their first five games of a top-flight season was back in 1990-91, where they avoided defeat in their opening 10 matches and wound up in third spot, their highest placement in English football to date.

Champions League football remains a fantasy for now, but the hosts' attentions will soon turn to continental matters nonetheless; the visit of Liverpool precedes their inaugural Conference League league-phase clash against Dynamo Kiev next Thursday.

Sticking with the knockout theme, Palace and Liverpool will coincidentally face off in the EFL Cup fourth round after the Reds came through a potential banana-skin battle with Southampton on Tuesday, sending the Saints out with a 2-1 third-round triumph at Anfield.

In customary fashion, Arne Slot's much-changed team needed a goal in the final 10 minutes to get over the line, although Hugo Ekitike's decisive tap-in was overshadowed by the Frenchman's nonsensical second yellow card for taking his shirt off during the celebrations.

As mindless as Ekitike's actions were, the forward's finish at least propelled Liverpool to their seventh straight win in all competitions; the sixth success in that sequence saw Slot mastermind a 2-1 Merseyside derby win over Everton as the Reds maintained their unblemished top-flight record.

The truly convincing victories are yet to arrive for the defending champions, but Liverpool have nevertheless built up a five-point lead over their closest rivals in the Premier League table, and the visitors can now open a top-flight season with six successive wins for just the fifth time.

A stellar record at Selhurst Park offers hope that such a feat may be repeated - Liverpool have won nine and drawn one of their last 10 league games away at Palace - but Glasner's men deservedly lifted the Community Shield aloft in August after besting the Reds on spot kicks.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Team News

The one blot on the Crystal Palace notebook last weekend was Yeremy Pino coming off at half time with a knee complaint, but the winger has taken part in training this week and is on course to be available for the game.

The same goes for Ismaila Sarr, who has been dealing with a thigh concern since the 3-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of August, so Daichi Kamada's spot in the hosts' XI may be at risk.

However, the Eagles remain without a quintet of stricken players in Cheick Doucoure (knee), Chadi Riad (knee), Walter Benitez (finger), Odsonne Edouard (Achilles) and Caleb Kporha (back) for the visit of the holders.

On Liverpool's end, Ekitike's foolish dismissal in the EFL Cup means that the 23-year-old will serve a one-match ban on Saturday, where Slot will surely hand Alexander Isak his full Premier League debut for the Reds as a result.

Ekitike's sending-off was one of two dampeners for Liverpool in their win over Southampton, as talented teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni is reported to have suffered a devastating ACL injury that could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Slot has no injury or suspension issues otherwise, though, and no fewer than 10 changes can be expected from the victory against the Saints, although he is facing a quandary over Florian Wirtz's involvement after dropping the £116m man to the bench in the Merseyside derby.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Guehi, Richards, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino; Mateta

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak

We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Liverpool

Liverpool's trend of late goals was seemingly bucked in the Merseyside derby before the 80+ strike struck again in midweek, but Slot's men can surely forget about a similarly heroic intervention at Selhurst Park.

Glasner's well-drilled Palace side have been one of the toughest nuts to crack in the current campaign, and having also excelled against the Reds just a few weeks ago, the Eagles should be well worth at least a share of the spoils as the holders' perfect Premier League record comes to an end.

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