Arne Slot has to be wary of one worrying statistic ahead of Liverpool's trip to face Crystal Palace - opinion

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Arne Slot and his Liverpool team are unbeaten this season but face a tough task in Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Reds have been on a roll this season with their five straight wins in the Premier League, sending them top of the table with a five-point gap on their nearest rivals, Arsenal, so far.

They now move on to their sixth game of the season, but it is a tricky game against a Palace side who are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions.

It will be an interesting game to watch, given the very recent history against the South London club, with Liverpool losing the Community Shield to Oliver Glasner’s side on penalties after a tight 2-2 draw.

Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images

What is all the more interesting is the added bit of drama from the transfer window involving the Eagles captain, Marc Guehi, who was looking to move to Anfield for a £35 million fee.

It all collapsed on deadline day after the clubs failed to get the deal over the line, but there is still an opportunity for the Merseyside club to take him off their hands next January or the summer.

The situation is just window dressing, though, to the tall order in front of Slot’s players because of how well Glasner has set his team up since joining them in 2024.

READ MORE: ‘Big’ update issued over Marc Guehi’s future as Liverpool ponder January move

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It is a game made all the more worrying given one statistic, which could spell trouble for the Dutchman’s side.

Liverpool, in their last nine Premier League games, have only beaten one side who were on a 17-game or over unbeaten streak, with six games drawn and two lost.

This is a difficult trend to overcome, and the fact that the side have won late in the majority of their opening fixtures does not bode well against an in-form team who will have the mental advantage after their Community Shield victory.

How Slot will also approach his forward line will be a very telling sign of how the match will pan out, with Hugo Ektike missing the game due to a red card.

Alexander Isak is likely to start, but who he will be subbed off for is key, given there is no out-and-out striker.

However, the side have not been beaten in their previous 10 away matches against Palace at Selhurst Park, which is their longest-running unbeaten run away from home against any league side.

So it may not be all bad news for Slot.

A win is always the aim, but what could make it all the more important is the history attached to a sixth win in their opening fixture.

According to the Liverpool FC website, if they were to win six games in a row, they would join 2005/06 Chelsea and 2023/2024 Manchester City as the only two Premier League Champions to do so.

But the most important part is that they also retained their titles after such winning runs.

The signs are looking good for Slot’s team initially, but there is still a long way to go, even if the Reds are looking like favourites to retain.