Despite his recent struggles with form, Sadio Mane could prove Liverpool’s key man against Crystal Palace, with the forward one goal away from a Premier League record.
Mane could become only the second player in Premier League history to score in eight consecutive appearances against the same opponent (following Robin van Persie against Stoke).
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Romelu Lukaku (both against West Ham) have also achieved the feat in seven.
The No. 10 has scored 10 times in his 13 career appearances against Palace, with seven coming in eight games for Liverpool – his most productive opponent.
Mane has scored more goals against Palace for the Reds than any other player in history.
Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Ian Rush have all scored six.
8 in a row
Liverpool are looking to record a fourth successive league double over Palace – they had never previously recorded three in a row before this sequence.
They have won each of the last seven meetings in the league, scoring 22 and conceding five – with three of those five coming in a single game, here in January 2019.
Milestone men
Alisson is in line to play his 100th league game for Liverpool and will become the 16th Reds goalkeeper to achieve the milestone.
He has so far kept 43 clean sheets in the league.
Should Mo Salah score he will do so for Liverpool in the 100th different game and would become the 10th player to reach three figures.
James Milner could play his 250th game for Liverpool in all competitions.
Equalling the club record?
Sixteen different players have scored for Liverpool in the league this season – the club record is 17, achieved three times, including last season.
They could equal the record if any of Fabinho, Rhys Williams, James Milner, Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi manage to score.
Anfield send-off
Since returning to the top flight in 1962, Liverpool have played their final league game of the season at Anfield on 23 occasions.
The Reds have won 15 and lost two, while in the Premier League era they have won 11 and drawn two with no defeats.
Roy’s record
Roy Hodgson has faced Liverpool 16 times as a manager, winning three, drawing four and losing nine.
His last win came when he guided West Brom to a 1-0 victory at Anfield in April 2012. Since then he has lost three in a row – all with Palace.
As Liverpool manager from July 2010 two January 2011 he won 13 of 31 games in charge in all competitions, losing 10.
This will be Hodgson’s last game in charge of Palace. At the age of 73 years 287 days on the day of the game he is the oldest-ever Premier League manager.
Today’s referee
Andre Marriner will take charge of the Reds for the fifth time this season – they are yet to win.
He has refereed games involving the two teams on three previous occasions – the away team has won each one including Palace at Anfield in April 2017.
This season’s scorers
Liverpool: Salah 31, Mane 14, Jota 13, Firmino 9, Jones 4, Minamino 4, own goals 4, Wijnaldum 3, Alexander-Arnold 2, Alisson 1, Grujic 1, Henderson 1, Matip 1, Origi 1, Oxlade-Chamberlain 1, Phillips 1, Robertson 1, Shaqiri 1, Thiago 1, Van Dijk 1
Crystal Palace: Zaha 11, Benteke 10, Eze 4, Batshuayi 2, Riedewald 2, Schlupp 2, own goals 2, Ayew 1, Cahill 1, Dann 1, Kouyate 1, Mateta 1, Milivojevic 1, Mitchell 1, Townsend 1
* Statistics courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
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