Crystal Palace begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign on Saturday when they travel to Everton for the first league game of the new season.
It will be a fresh start for the Eagles under Pierre Sage, who replaced Oliver Glasner during the summer after the Austrian left to take charge of Nottingham Forest. Sage arrives with plenty to prove after guiding Lens to the Coupe de France and second place in Ligue 1 last season.
Palace will be hoping the Frenchman’s arrival can help them improve on a disappointing 16th-place league finish last term. Their campaign did end on a high, though, with the Eagles lifting the Conference League trophy.
The match can be followed on the Dave Premier League 2026/27 season updates.
Crystal Palace face an Everton side with injury problems
David Moyes has already confirmed that Everton will be without James Garner, Christian Norgaard and Tim Iroegbunam for the opener.
The Toffees had an inconsistent pre-season, recording three wins, two draws and two defeats. They have also added five permanent signings over the summer as Moyes continues to reshape his squad.
Everton ended last season with a seven-game winless run, recording three draws and four defeats. That spell saw them slip down the table and finish 13th, matching their position from the previous campaign.
They will be desperate to avoid another poor start, especially with Everton having lost their opening Premier League match in each of the last four seasons.
The Toffees also have recent history on their side against Palace. They are unbeaten in their last 11 matches across all competitions against the Eagles.
Henderson concern gives Palace late selection headache
Sage has confirmed that Crystal Palace should have a fully fit squad available, although Dean Henderson remains a doubt after twisting his ankle during the pre-season defeat to Freiburg.
There is also a question mark over Daniel Munoz’s availability. The Colombian has played only 18 minutes of pre-season since representing Colombia at the 2026 World Cup and might feature from the bench.
That could give summer signing Oscar Mingueza an opportunity to start on the right.
Palace’s record against Everton makes for difficult reading. The Eagles have won only one of their last 23 Premier League meetings with the Toffees, drawing 10 and losing 12.
That victory came in December 2021, when Palace won 3-1 at home. Their last victory at Everton came much further back, in the 2014/15 season under Neil Warnock, when they won 3-2 at Goodison Park.
Interestingly, Everton have never suffered an eight-game winless league run under Moyes, adding another layer of pressure to Saturday’s contest.
Everton Predicted XI:Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Hackney, Armstrong; Röhl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry.
Crystal Palace Predicted XI: Crystal Palace: Henderson; Canvas, Richards, Riad; Mingueza, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Strand Larsen.
The match kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday, August 22, at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The game will not be broadcast live on television in the UK.
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