Clinton Morrison
Former Crystal Palace striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Forest go to Leeds away on Tuesday. You have to beat the teams in and around you.

Wolves are a good team, I think they'll be alright. Lopetegui is a really good manager.

Forest will be alright. Their next two games are crucial to their season. They've got a great chance with Steve Cooper.

Image source, Getty Images

• After winning four consecutive Premier League games against Leicester City between 2017 and 2019, Crystal Palace are now without a victory in their past seven meetings.
• Having kept a clean sheet in five of their six Premier League games before the World Cup break, the Foxes are the only side without one since the competition's resumption and they have conceded 22 goals in 12 matches.
• Harvey Barnes is Leicester's joint-top scorer in the league this season with nine goals. He's only reached double figures in a league campaign once before - that was in 2018-19 and included nine goals for West Brom in the Championship.

Alex Pewter, Five Year Plan podcast, external

If chairman Steve Parish needed one outcome from the international break, it was for it to act as a hard mental reset for Crystal Palace.

Criticism may rightly be levied at him following Patrick Vieira's dismissal, but by removing one variable, there is at least certainty over who will take charge of the final 10 matches.

These coaching methods, staff and tactics are all well-trodden paths down in Beckenham - and, even at the height of the fan existential crisis, there was still comfort in the familiar sight of Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington's return to the training ground.

While it is difficult to remember quite how we arrived at this point, the line in the sand has been drawn, and the "new" manager's task is a simple one:

Ten games and 10 points are required.

Fortunately, the numbers appear to be in Palace's favour.

There may be natural scepticism regarding the relegation probabilities of companies such as Opta and FiveThirtyEight, but each recognises the team's run-in as being one of the "easiest" in the division within their calculations.

That doesn't guarantee Roy's success. There will be nerves come kick-off against Leicester City. The margins will be fine. It may not go the home team's way - but it is all to play for.

Brendan Rodgers says Leicester are "ready to attack" the games in "a pivotal month" for their Premier League future.

The Foxes are 17th and will resume their domestic campaign after the international break with a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

With nine teams potentially involved in the scrap to avoid relegation, Rodgers knows that seven matches in April will be vital.

"It's a great coaching challenge," he said. "We know what we need to do and Saturday is the start of an important period for us.

"We have shown we can win games but we haven't done it consistently enough. We're under no illusions - we know the qualities we have but it's more than that. It's consistency."

Rodgers' side also play Leeds, Wolves and Bournemouth this month and he insists his squad have the mental strength to pull away from the bottom.

"The biggest thing you need to have is resilience," he said. "That only comes from pain and hurt and coming through that.

"Talent alone is not enough. You have to have the mentality, will and desire to get the results. I believe this group have that."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, speaking to BT Sport: "I think we saw what we expected in the first half, a dominant City side with us organised, had our moments. When we played we were really in the game and caused them some problems as well, scored a wonderful goal. We had another big counter-attacking moment where we could have played it better.

"So 1-1 at half-time. We can show the boys what to do, where to defend them because the key areas are clear. If we don't defend the double six we have a real problem. If we don't defend the double 10 - Gundogan and De Bruyne - then it is pretty much impossible because the pitch becomes too big.

"We concede this first goal with I think an open ball in midfield where we don't even have a challenge then we are too deep and the counter-attack happens, great play. 2-1.

"3-1 we have a massive overload on one side, should win the ball but don't even have a challenge. These kind of things cannot happen. But they happened and after that... wow! We just had to follow as they did whatever they wanted. We were lucky they weren't in a greedy mood.

"About from that, there is nothing good top say about this game. This is a game we have to use unfortunately and make clear which things cannot happen. We cannot not have challenges in key areas or be that open. Now I stand here and have to explain it but I cannot explain it.

"I cannot change it now, here, I can just report what I saw and we will talk about it tomorrow. These things happened too often."

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "The first half was one we've seen a few times when we've played here. City always have more possession, but we had spells. We played calm, composed and caused them problems.

"Scored a wonderful goal, had another big moment but concede. It was unlucky how the ball went through [Andy] Robertson's legs and they finish it off but coming out after half time and conceding two quick goals broke everything down.

"The goals, how we conceded is difficult to accept - we didn't put in a challenge for either. That's absolutely not acceptable to be honest. City completely in control after that and we were open and they could do whatever they wanted. That they only scored one more goal is well, thank you. It could've been different and that's really bad news for us.

"In the end, we had moments but in general how we lost everything, unacceptable. 3-1 down is difficult here but there was nothing more there, four-ish players had an OK game and the rest were somewhere I don't know. Three days and we play again against another strong team. Tomorrow is a big day for us because we have to work with what we saw today because we see it more often now."

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on Final Score

At the crucial moment when the run-in is beginning and they need to pick points up, City have just won their fourth consecutive game for the first time this season.

The performance really opened eyes. As soon as the second half started they came out and completely blew Liverpool away.

Liverpool

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, speaking to BT Sport: "It speaks for itself that we are frustrated. We know what we can do and when we don't do it and lose the game, everybody is frustrated.

"I think we conceded really quick in the second half, two quick goals and it is difficult to bounce back from that. We have to analyse that and see how we can improve it.

"City is a strong side but I think we also showed in moments that we are also really strong side but we have to be consistent."

Jay Crame, The Eagles Beak, external

Striker has been a real problem position for Palace this season and that is one of the reasons why Patrick Vieira lost his job. There is no doubt that Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard are playing for their futures at the club, but it is the former Celtic man that gets the nod.

He was publicly criticised by Vieira without it having the desired effect but he does have a fresh start under Roy Hodgson. It will be interesting to see if he is selected as the lone striker under the interim boss.

His Palace career started so brightly, but faded quickly. Perhaps an arm around the shoulder by Hodgson and Ray Lewington may have the desired effect.

Read the full piece here

Image source, BBC Sport

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

For this week's Premier League predictions Chris Sutton faces DMA'S frontman and Everton fan Tommy O'Dell.

I was not surprised at all to see Roy Hodgson brought back to replace Patrick Vieira as Crystal Palace manager and I am confident they will stay up.

That's partly because of Roy, who I really enjoyed playing under at Blackburn back in the late 1990s, but also because the Eagles are about to start a run of games against all the teams below them in the table.

That's one of the reasons I thought it was harsh to sack Vieira when they did, especially because they are still 12th despite being on a long winless run. But Roy is a smart guy who knows the club well and if they wanted to make the change, then giving him the job until the end of the season makes sense.

Roy's job is to keep them up rather than anything longer term, and he probably needs three wins from their final 10 games to do that.

We know he is pragmatic and I really don't see him losing his first game back in charge, especially at Selhurst Park, but equally I can't imagine them going into free-scoring mode and going all out to win it.

Leicester are the opposite, because their strengths are all about their attacking flair. They play well whenever James Maddison is prominent and I am huge fan of Harvey Barnes, but I just don't fancy the Foxes to keep a clean sheet.

Tommy's prediction: 3-1

It is a bit of a shock to see Hodgson back at Palace. Leicester are really struggling, though, so I am going to say they will lose.

Find out what Sutton and O’Dell predicted for the rest of the weekend's games and cast your vote

Kevin Campbell
Former Arsenal striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

No disrespect to Roy Hodgson, he's a very experienced man, but let's be real, his age is a factor.

Short term fair enough, if he can keep them up, for the narrative say they'll review it at the end of the season, great.

But there's no way he's taking the football club any further forward. He had the chance before and he couldn't do it when he was younger.

They will lie to him [to make him think they might keep him on]. They're not going to mess him round if that's what's going to get him into the club and try to keep them up, I'll say anything to you to get you in.

Clinton Morrison
Former Crystal Palace striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think the job Roy Hodgson has done is fantastic but in football sometimes you evolve and that's what Palace were trying to do

In Vieira's first season they finished 12th and got to the FA Cup semi-finals. They were evolving their football, dominating possession.

I've made my feelings known to people at Palace.

I'm disappointed, I wanted Patrick to stay in the job. Give him an opportunity. They didn't spend much in January.

He played all the teams in the top 10. Roy has eight or nine teams in the bottom half. I still think Patrick would have kept them up.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson says he has "never felt old enough to retire" as he prepares to return to the dugout on Saturday.

The 75-year-old is already the Premier League's oldest manager from his spell at Watford last year.

He will take charge of Palace against Leicester on Saturday, having being reappointed for the rest of the season.

"I know my birth certificate tells me I am [old enough to retire] but the way I feel doesn't tell me that," he said.

Hodgson, whose previous spell at Palace ended after the 2020-21 season, last managed at Watford between January and May 2022, leaving the side after they were relegated.

The former England and Fulham boss said at the time he did not expect another job but stressed he had not formally retired.

"I had accepted that I had retired because that is what everyone has been saying," he said.

"If I walked down the street, people would say to me 'are you enjoying your retirement?' but at the same time, I have never felt old enough to retire.

"There has always been an opening there for project such as this one."

The four points separating Crystal Palace and Southampton is the least amount between the teams in 12th and 20th at this stage of a Premier League season.

Data specialists Nielsen's Gracenote has studied the stats and calculated a percentage chance of relegation for each team, based on their remaining fixtures.

Gracenote says 39 points will be enough to guarantee top-flight survival.

Check out the graph below...

Image source, BBC Sport

Read the breakdown for each team and give your prediction here

Image source, Getty Images

• Brighton have won four of their past five Premier League home games, keeping a clean sheet in each. Only twice before have they won three in a row at Amex Stadium in the competition (March 2018 and November 2019), and never without conceding.
• Brentford have lost just one of their past 15 league games. Away from home, the Bees have won three of their past six, after being without a victory in their first seven on the road this season.
• Ivan Toney has been involved in 10 goals in his 12 away league games in 2022-23 (eight goals, two assists). Only Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Tottenham's Harry Kane - 10 each - have scored more than the Brentford striker.

Image source, BBC Sport

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

This is such a difficult one to call. Both of these teams have had such good seasons and they don't lose very often.

Brentford are such a well-balanced side and they have a smart manager in Thomas Frank who can switch styles when it's needed.

I think the Bees will score, but I am going to go with Brighton to edge it.

I love the freedom and invention the Seagulls are playing with and they are so good to watch. They have such great imagination, which might just give them the edge against Brentford's excellent organisation.

Tommy's prediction: 0-2

Find out what Sutton and O’Dell predicted for the rest of the weekend's games and cast your vote

Stephen Warnock
Former England and Liverpool defender on Football Focus

Against Crystal Palace, Bukayo Saka was phenomenal. The positivity in his play, it just shows the confidence he’s got.

It seems like he’s got a really nice balance at the moment. He's in a really good place where everything seems right.

Javi Gracia says he's taking it game by game as Leeds United prepare to play seven games in April, starting with Saturday's match against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

"We are only focused on the next game," he said.

"I prefer not to focus on the whole month. I am thinking only about Arsenal. It's the only way to have some chances to get a good result."

This is Leeds' first game back after the international break, which created "big problems" for Gracia's squad, including injuries to Max Wober and Wilfried Gnonto.

Despite the injury troubles, Gracia said the two-week break had it's positives.

"All the time we have been together these last two weeks, it was good for us," he added. "We didn't have many players but it was time to train with under-21 players and know more about them."

Jess Furness, Her Game Too, external

If Illan Meslier carries on doing what he is doing by constantly showing his quality and growth in maturity, there is no doubt that he will have an extremely successful future as France's number one and will also bag himself a contract at one of Europe's biggest teams to progress his career and to give himself a new challenge.

He summed it up nicely himself in a recent interview: "I have to be good. Because no one will come looking for me if I am not."

If we do step back down into the Championship next season, then Meslier would most likely choose to leave for a new challenge elsewhere at a higher level. He would be a huge loss.

Read the full piece here

Manchester City (W8-D5-L1) have now lost only one of their last 14 Premier League home games against Liverpool, a 4-1 defeat on 21 November 2015.