Liverpool vs Crystal Palace: 11/5 and 11/2 betting tips
Liverpool host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening desperately searching for some positive momentum, having now lost five of their last six games in all competitions.
Football tipster Matt Hill takes a closer look at the contest and offers up two betting tips for the Anfield showdown.
After a fairytale first season in charge, Arne Slot now finds himself in the middle of a full-blown crisis with Liverpool.
The Reds’ latest loss to Brentford, going down 3-2 in West London last weekend, made it five defeats in their last six in all competitions and left them trailing Premier League leaders Arsenal by a whopping seven points after just nine fixtures – leaving them as big as 8/1 with bookmakers to retain their title having gone off favourites just two months ago.
While it is too early to rule the Merseysiders out of the title race entirely, it looks increasingly likely that a cup win may be their best hope of silverware in 2025-26. So, this clash with Crystal Palace takes on some extra significance.
Interestingly, it was Oliver Glasner’s men who inflicted Liverpool’s first defeat of the season less than five weeks ago. Depending on how seriously you weight the Community Shield, it could be pointed out they have already beaten the Reds twice this campaign.
Palace are not heading to Anfield in the best of nick themselves, however. The Eagles are now winless in four across all competitions, including three losses, seemingly struggling with the balance of domestic and European football.
After suffering a smash-and-grab loss at home to AEK Larnaca a week ago, Sunday’s 1-0 defeat away to Arsenal was a more respectable loss – though Glasner will have been concerned to see his side fail to muster a shot on target.
Lineup changes are an inevitable part of domestic cup clashes and while both Slot and Glasner will be keen to seal a morale-boosting win, rotation feels like a necessity here given both side’s packed schedules.
That means looking towards some less regular faces in the player prop markets could pay rewards and having enjoyed a 30-minute cameo from the bench last weekend, 17-year-old attacker Rio Ngumoha looks primed for an opportunity here.
Ngumoha enjoyed the most memorable of Premier League debuts back in August. Introduced as a late substitute against Newcastle with the game locked at 2-2 in the 96th minute, the then 16-year-old bagged a dramatic winner at St James’ Park with virtually the game’s last kick.
Since then, Ngumoha has had to remain patient for another opportunity – but the Reds’ recent struggles saw him reintroduced into the fold from the bench against Brentford.
Likely to get what will be his first start for the club here, the youngster will be desperate to show Slot he can offer attacking impetus and play a more significant role in the coming weeks.
Despite his limited minutes, it’s fair to believe the hype around Ngumoha. Chelsea, who Liverpool poached him from, reportedly considered him the most promising talent in his age group and the fact he is in and around the Reds’ first team despite his tender years says a lot.
Against a somewhat rotated Palace side, backing Nguhoma for over 2.5 shots at 21/10 with LiveScoreBet or BetMGM seems a shrewd main play.
For a more ambitious poke, let’s stick half a point on Nguhoma to score anytime and over 3.5 match goals.
The nature of knockout football means goals are always more likely than in a standard fixture and given these two’s recent defensive records, it feels like chances will be ample for both sides throughout.
2pts - Rio Ngumoha over 2.5 shots - 11/5 (LiveScore/ BetMGM)
0.5pts - Rio Ngumoha anytime goalscorer and over 3.5 match goals - 11/2 (Bet365)
Total staked - 2.5pts
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
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