Crystal Palace v Liverpool: two sides short of their best form
Crystal Palace host Liverpool at Selhurst Park, with both clubs winless in their last two outings and a recent head-to-head that refuses to favour either side.
By Harvey Watkins,
Liverpool arrive at Selhurst Park on the back of consecutive defeats, and that is the detail that most changes how this fixture looks. A 1-0 loss to Arsenal was followed by a 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahçe on 4 November. Crystal Palace, for their part, have won once in five. Neither side comes into Sunday's Premier League game with much momentum.
Liverpool's recent run
Liverpool's last five read two wins, a draw and two defeats, with nine goals scored and eight conceded. The headline numbers are flattered at one end by a 4-3 win over Villarreal on 20 October. Take that out and they have scored five in four matches.
The trend runs the wrong way too. They beat Brighton 2-0 on 25 October, the only clean sheet in the sequence, and have not won since. Across the three matches that followed they scored three and conceded five. That is a modest return for a side of Liverpool's standing, though three games is a short stretch and the opposition in that run included Arsenal and Chelsea.
Palace's recent run
Palace have one win, two draws and two defeats from their last five, scoring four and conceding seven. Goals have been the harder part. They failed to score in defeats to Tottenham and Newcastle, and have not managed more than two in any of those matches.
The one win was a tidy 1-0 at Fulham on 28 October, their only clean sheet in the run. Their two most recent matches at Selhurst Park produced a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle and a 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim on 5 November, so home advantage has not yet turned into results during this spell.
The recent meetings
The five most recent meetings between these clubs are as even as it gets:
- 25 Apr 2026: Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace
- 29 Oct 2025: Liverpool 0-3 Crystal Palace
- 27 Sep 2025: Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool
- 25 May 2025: Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace
- 5 Oct 2024: Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
That is two wins each and a draw, with Palace edging the goals seven to six. The two games at Selhurst Park in that stretch were split, a Liverpool win by a single goal and a Palace win by the same margin. Palace's 3-0 win in the October 2025 meeting stands out, but Liverpool's 3-1 win in April is the most recent word.
What this record does suggest is that Palace have not been overawed by this fixture. Whatever the gap between the clubs might look like on paper, the last five meetings have not reflected one.
How it might go
On form alone there is little to separate the sides. Liverpool have been the more productive in attack, while Palace have struggled to score. Liverpool's defence has been the more porous of late, though, and Palace have shown in Fulham that they can keep a game tight.
My view, held loosely, is that Liverpool's attacking output gives them a slight edge, but their recent defensive record and Palace's showings in this fixture make a draw or a home win entirely plausible. A five-match sample is thin, and both sides have had mixed opposition within it. This looks closer than the names alone would suggest.