Everton and Crystal Palace are expected to play out a low-scoring draw when they meet in the opening round of the new English Premier League season on Saturday, 22 August 2026.
The fixture brings together two sides who finished in the lower half of the table last season, although Crystal Palace ended their campaign with a major trophy and a place in European competition.
Everton had hoped to challenge for a position in the European places last season, but their form declined during the closing stages. David Moyes’ side eventually finished 13th, collecting 49 points across the campaign.
The club’s preparations for the new season included seven friendly matches. Everton recorded three victories, drew twice and suffered two defeats in those games.
Crystal Palace endured a difficult Premier League campaign, finishing 15th after taking 45 points from 38 matches. Despite that disappointing league performance, the club secured silverware in the Conference League.
Oliver Glasner guided Crystal Palace to a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the final, allowing the club to end the season on a high. That triumph also means the Eagles will compete in the Europa League during the new campaign.
There has been a change in the dugout since then, with Pierre Sage now in charge of Crystal Palace. The club’s summer preparations consisted of seven friendlies, producing four wins and three defeats.
Everton’s pre-season record was more balanced, while Crystal Palace’s results included more victories but also one additional loss. Neither side, however, enters the league opener with a clear statistical advantage from those warm-up fixtures.
The prediction for the match is a draw with only a small number of goals. The assessment points towards a cautious contest rather than an open game, with the two teams expected to cancel each other out at the start of the new Premier League season.
This will be Everton’s first league match of the campaign under Moyes after the club’s 13th-place finish last term. For Crystal Palace, the game marks the beginning of a new Premier League season following their Conference League success and the managerial change that brought Sage into the role.
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