Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace: 3 reasons why the Reds will win

Mohamed Salah’s star power

Liverpool have a handful of players who qualify as world-class, even when you account for those who won’t be able to play due to injury. But there is nobody who has been more important to the Reds this season than striker Mohamed Salah. The left-footed right winger has scored 22 goals this season and is in the thick of the Golden Boot race with Harry Kane.

As a great team player, Salah’s primary motivation will be to help Liverpool win. But as the team’s best goal-scorer, by far, the best way he can help the team win is by taking his chances. Any time Salah gets a sniff at goal, he should go for it, because his finishing and technical quality are at another level from anyone else in this league, with the possible exception of the man he’s battling in the Golden Boot race.

Winning that individual honor would mean a lot to Salah, so that should provide him extra motivation to be at his best in the final game of the season. There is nobody on Crystal Palace’s defense capable of stopping Salah, especially when you look at how this team has played recently. And I’m not sure the whole Roy Hodgson storyline is going to change anything.

Salah looks poised to have a huge individual performance at Anfield. Look at how he celebrated his goal against Manchester United. He lives for this club, and he is going to really feed off the passion of the returning fans.