An unbeaten Liverpool side travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday to face Crystal Palace. The Reds are at the top of the table with 34 points in 12 matches, 8 points clear of Leicester City in 2nd place.
An integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans this season has been Senegalese forward Sadio Mane. The Liverpool star has already bagged 7 goals and 2 assists this season in the Premier League and is leading Liverpool’s title challenge.
The 27-year old is a lethal finisher. His pace is a trait that worries the opposition. With his great skill-set, he likes to cut inside rather than going wide and crossing the ball. Although his defensive contributions are minimal, the energy and confidence he gives to the side is immense, and makes his such a deadly player.
However, he is not the only African star that we will be seeing in this match. Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha is another man to watch out for on Saturday. The Ivorian was continuously linked with a move away from Palace in the summer, however stayed put. Zaha hasn’t lived up to his expectations this season, with managing only 1 assist and failing to find the back of the net this season.
Zaha is a massive counter attack threat. He is very quick, and just like Mane, doesn’t cross the ball very often. He is deadly on the break and is a good dribbler, which gives Roy Hodgson’s side great opportunities on counter attacks. The Liverpool game is the perfect match for Zaha to find his form back. A good performance could reinvigorate his season and could help Palace to finish in the top-8.
Liverpool will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run, and Mane will be eyeing another Golden Boot this season. However, with Palace being famous for ending Manchester City’s winning streak in the 2017-18 season, Liverpool will not want to undermine them when they face them away from home on Saturday.
