Federico Chiesa could become Liverpool’s saviour if he’s chosen to play against Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening.
The Reds are set to take on the Eagles in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and will be looking to turn the tables in their favour.
Liverpool’s last two meetings with Palace have ended badly for the Anfield outfit with Oliver Glasner’s men winning both and leaving the reigning Premier League champions rather red-faced.
Arne Slot pictured before Liverpool's Premier League match against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
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However, with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo out of form, it could give Chiesa a golden opportunity to prove his worth, especially if Slot puts him in from the start.
Federico Chiesa is one of Liverpool’s most in-form players at the moment
Last week, Chiesa managed to win Liverpool’s player of the month award despite being out of favour with his manager.
The Italy international has had a tough time of it since making the switch to Anfield, but no matter where or how often he’s been played, he’s always put in the most effort of any player on the pitch.
And, although it’s clear that Slot has his favourites in Gakpo and Salah, Wednesday’s game against Palace could be a turning point for the former Juventus man.
The fact that he won Liverpool’s player of the month award and can be played anywhere across the front three means that there’s a big chance he could start the game against the Eagles on Wednesday.
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That is, especially since Slot will likely want to take Salah out of the media spotlight once again.
Crystal Palace won’t roll over for Liverpool on Wednesday
Since Palace netted a last-minute winner against Liverpool to win their last game against one another back in September, neither side have won a Premier League game.
That’s a massive difference compared to how things looked going into their last game on 27th September, as both teams were in fine form and were unbeaten in the top flight.
Since then, nothing has gone either team’s way, with the Eagles even losing against AEK Larnaca in their Europa Conference League clash last Thursday.
Despite their terrible run of form, Glasner won’t let Liverpool walk all over his team, as has been shown by their previous meetings this season.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner pictured on the touchline during a Premier League game.
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
This is where Chiesa comes in. If he can put in a masterclass of a performance and take down Palace’s defensive line, he’d be able to more than prove his worth to Slot.
Or, even if he can just chip in with a couple of assists or goals, and prove that at least one of Liverpool’s attackers has something about them, it could do wonders for the attacker who has already been described as “fabulous” by Jamie Redknapp.
Because, at the moment, Salah, Gakpo and even Alexander Isak are all performing well below their usual standards, which has left the Reds in a rather disadvantaged position.