English Premier
2026-08-22 - Everton vs Crystal Palace
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 22nd August 2026 - Kick Off 3pm
Everton
There was plenty of positivity in David Moyes' interviews last season as he was trying to push Everton back into European competition, but ultimately the squad came up short. The Toffees finished 13th in the Premier League table, but that was largely down to the poor record in the second half of the season and Moyes has been less enthusiastic about the prospectives of the squad in pre-season.
It may be partly down to the fact of wanting more players to bolster options, but David Moyes' interviews have frustrated the fanbase who will have been hoping for more optimism than they have heard. The manager wants to take Everton back into Europe, but this is a club that have not finished higher than 13th in any of the last five seasons, while 10th is the best finish since 2019.
Everton failed to win any of the last 7 Premier League games to conclude last season and they picked up 3 points from a possible 21 in that span. The hope is that the team will be more confident playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the second season in the new home, especially as Everton won just 2 of the last 12 games here in all competitions.
Christian Norgaard has been signed from Arsenal, but is not expected to be ready for a home debut as he recovers from an injury. James Garner is also expected to miss out, but an otherwise full squad is available to the manager.
Crystal Palace
The last two years have been incredibly memorable for Crystal Palace fans who have enjoyed seeing the team win the FA Cup in 2025 and then follow up with a Conference League success in 2026. That does mean a place in the Europa League has been confirmed, but Crystal Palace will have to go without manager Oliver Glasner who has written his name into folklore around Selhurst Park.
Instead it is Pierre Sage who will be taking charge of Crystal Palace and that is likely going to mean a change of system under a new manager. His previous tenures at Lyon and Lens have been pretty successful, but the lack of experience of English Football is a negative and there is going to be immediate pressure on Sage and his players to rally together.
Crystal Palace have only had a single top half finish in the Premier League since 2015 and they will have to balance European and domestic commitments again this season. The Eagles did prioritise the Conference League in the latter stages of the last campaign and that meant failing to win any of the last 7 Premier League games played, although beating Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League Final made amends for that poor run of form.
Dean Henderson is a doubt for the visiting team. More incomings are likely going to be needed before the close of the transfer window, but Dwight McNeil should be available to face his former club.
Head to Head
Everton took four points from Crystal Palace last season with the majority earned from a come from behind win over them at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees had also been unbeaten in the last 11 when playing Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.
Last season's 2-1 win at home means Everton have won 5 of the last 6 when hosting Crystal Palace.
Prediction
Replicating the successes of the last two seasons is going to be incredibly tough for Pierre Sage as he takes over from Oliver Glasner as manager of Crystal Palace.
Winning the FA Cup and Conference League will have raised expectations at Selhurst Park, and it does feel like Sage was not one of the first choices to replace the departing manager.
Pierre Sage has performed well in France, but the English Premier League will be another test and a new style can take a bit of time to implement.
Both Crystal Palace and Everton may be very active over the final few days of the transfer window as they look to offer the respective managers more options within the squad.
David Moyes has been frustrated by the lack of transfer activity and his Everton team had been in poor form over the second half of the Premier League season.
It was still better than what a distracted Crystal Palace team were able to produce in terms of results and Everton have enjoyed facing this opponent on Merseyside.
A competitive opening weekend fixture is expected, but one where Everton's slightly more stable management situation may end up giving them the edge to earn the three points against The Eagles again.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace
