Team News: Palace vs Liverpool - Stats prove how Reds cope without injured Emre Can

In the early kick-off in the Premier League today, Liverpool travel to face relegation threatened Crystal Palace in a repeat of a fixture that has heralded 22 goals in the last five meetings between the sides at Selhurst Park.

The big news for the visitors is that Emre Can is out through injury, having also made some remarks about where he sees his future that had angered some of the club’s fans during the international break.

There is some solace for said supporters, however, given Liverpool haven’t lost a game that Emre Can has not started since August 2016. The Reds have gone 18 Premier League games unbeaten without the German in the starting XI since that defeat at Burnley.

Since the start of last season Can has started 50 league games for Jurgen Klopp’s side, ending up on the losing side nine times. Over those matches they have averaged 1.90 points per game, whilst in the 19 games he has been left out of the line-up Liverpool have averaged 2.32 points per game.

Elsewhere Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drops to the bench along with Dejan Lovren, while Nathaniel Clyne is back in the matchday squad for the first time this year in the absence of the injured Joe Gomez.

For Crystal Palace, Wilfried Zaha is fit to start alongside former Liverpool striker Christian Benteke, but January signing Alexander Sorloth misses out through injury.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is fit enough to make the bench, while youngster Aaron Wan-Bissaka keeps his place at right-back after an impressive run in the side ahead of the international break.