Liverpool vs Crystal Palace: Eagles are relaxed about starting 39-year-old

Liverpool take on Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon and Eagles fans are remarkably relaxed about starting 39-year-old Julian Speroni.

The London side are in the middle of a goalkeeping injury crisis after Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita picked up knocks against Watford.

Speroni hasn’t featured for Palace since December 2017 and will become the oldest player to feature in the Premier League this season.

Brighton’s Bruno, at 38, previously held the record – but it’ll be surpassed by the Argentine. With 400 appearances for the London outfit under his belt, Speroni has plenty of experience to call on.

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And that’s partly why Eagles fans aren’t concerned about the prospect of the veteran facing up against Liverpool’s attack.

The once-capped Argentina U20 international joined the club from Dundee for a tiny fee of £900,000 in 2004 and has given his entire career to Palace. He’s a hero, and rightly so.

But Mohamed Salah will test every inch of Speroni’s ability and reactions as the Reds look to continue their title charge by taking three points off Roy Hodgson’s team.

Liverpool look to be coming out of one of their own crisis as Joel Matip recovers from his collar bone injury. The Cameroon international was named on the bench against Brighton and could feature on Saturday, which will allow Fabinho to be picked at right-back.

The Reds will need the Brazilian to play there due to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury, which will see him miss around a month of action. James Milner could also play on the right, while youngsters Rafa Camacho or Ki-Jana Hoever could be considered options.

Palace are down in 14th place with 22 points. With 12 losses, four draws and only six wins under their belt, the Eagles will certainly be going into the contest us underdogs – but their victory over Manchester City shows their ability to cause an upset.