Patrick Vieira has admitted that he’s expecting to face a ‘different’ Liverpool from the one that drew 2-2 with Fulham last weekend.
The former Arsenal midfielder brings his Crystal Palace side to Anfield on Monday night looking to secure their first point of the season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, meanwhile, are looking for a much improved performance from the one at Craven Cottage after they twice had to come from behind to salvage a point against last season’s Championship winners.
“It was the first game of the season,” Vieira told the press earlier today (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo). “The team may not be at their best but for ourselves it’ll be a different Liverpool team. We’ve improved from the last 10 days of training, maybe it’s the same for them.
“It’s difficult to find a better atmosphere (than Anfield). The players are really excited, it’s a fantastic stadium and atmosphere. We want to enjoy ourselves. It will be challenging but we can make it challenging for them. Last year we had some good opportunities to score goals, at home we created those situations again.
“We have to be brave and, with the strength we have, try to play that game with personality. We will try to perform our best.”
The Eagles fell to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal on the opening day of the Premier League season last Friday and things don’t get much easier for them with a trip to last season’s runners-up.
Liverpool simply must be better than they were against Marco Silva’s side.
It was a pretty lacklustre performance from the Reds who had to call on Darwin Nunez from the bench to turn things around in the capital.
The Uruguayan registered a goal and an assist after being introduced early in the second-half and he may therefore be named in the starting XI on Monday.
Klopp is always patient with his new signings and is eager to not rush them into the side, but after our No. 27’s showings in his first two competitive outings for the club, it’s hard to see how the German boss can resist giving the Uruguayan his first start for the club.
The were will be at least two changes from the side that started against Fulham.
Thiago Alcantara has been ruled out for upto six weeks with a hamstring injury while reports emerged earlier today claiming that Joel Matip has picked up an injury and will be out of Monday’s clash.
We completed the double over the Selhurst Park outfit last term and remain unbeaten against them since 2017.
Let’s hope for a huge performance from the lads to make the rest of the league aware that we still mean business.