Everton and Crystal Palace will begin their 2026-27 Premier League campaigns against one another on Saturday, 22 August, with the match expected to produce goals at both ends. The forecast for the opening-round fixture is that both teams will score.
Everton finished last season in 13th place after collecting 49 points from 38 matches. Their campaign ended with a seven-game run without a victory, suggesting the Liverpool club lost momentum during the final stage of the competition.
The Toffees have completed seven friendly matches as part of their preparations for the new season. Their results were mixed, with three victories recorded during that period.
Crystal Palace enter the fixture after claiming the UEFA Conference League title last season. The London club defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final to secure the European trophy.
However, Palace’s league campaign was less impressive than their continental success. They ended the Premier League season in 15th place, two positions below Everton in the final table.
The Eagles have also played seven matches during their pre-season programme. As part of that schedule, they competed in the Como Cup and finished the tournament in third place.
Those contrasting records provide the background to a meeting between two sides who will be looking for a stronger start than their final league positions last season suggest. Everton will aim to put their late-season winless sequence behind them, while Crystal Palace will return to domestic competition after the confidence of winning a European final.
The prediction is for both sides to find the net. Everton’s inconsistent preparation results and Palace’s combination of European success and a modest Premier League finish make the opening fixture difficult to assess in terms of an outright winner. A match in which each team scores is therefore considered the most likely outcome.
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The game will be played on Saturday, 22 August 2026, in the first round of the Premier League. It will be the first competitive meeting of the new league season for both Everton and Crystal Palace, with the two clubs seeking an early result after finishing 13th and 15th respectively in the previous campaign.