Everton will begin their 2026-27 Premier League campaign on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes’ side finished 13th last season and will be looking to push into the top half, while Palace begin a new era under Pierre Sage after ending the previous campaign by winning the Europa Conference League.
Match preview
Everton ended last season badly, going seven league matches without a victory to finish 13th. Their pre-season has been more encouraging, however, with Moyes’ side recording three wins, two defeats and a draw. They closed their preparations with a 1-1 draw against Lille, having previously beaten Newcastle United 3-1.
The Toffees have strengthened their squad with five permanent additions this summer, including Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and Brennan Johnson. Johnson’s arrival is particularly relevant on Saturday as he could make his Everton debut against his former club following his swap deal with Dwight McNeil.
Palace enjoyed a memorable end to 2025-26, winning the Conference League in Oliver Glasner’s final match before the Austrian left the club. Pierre Sage has since taken charge after guiding Lens to the Coupe de France and second place in Ligue 1 last season. His Palace side have had an inconsistent pre-season, winning three, drawing one and losing three of their seven friendlies.
The Eagles have nevertheless shown that they can travel well. They collected 24 of their 45 Premier League points away from home last season, a return bettered only by Tottenham and Nottingham Forest. Their recent record against Everton is considerably less encouraging: Palace have won only one of their last 23 top-flight meetings with the Toffees.
Everton have also lost their opening league fixture in each of the last four seasons without scoring in any of those matches. A victory on Saturday would therefore end a significant opening-day run as well as give Moyes an early platform for his push towards the top half.
Team News
Everton will be without Christian Norgaard, James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam. Norgaard is still recovering from an unspecified issue, while Garner has a groin problem and Iroegbunam is sidelined with a knock. Jarrad Branthwaite came through pre-season without injury and is expected to partner James Tarkowski at centre-back.
There is some uncertainty over Everton’s midfield. Sports Mole predicts Hayden Hackney to start alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but other current predicted XIs have Harrison Armstrong starting instead. Moyes has also indicated that he does not want to rush Hackney into Premier League action, making the midfield one of the main selection questions before kick-off.
Brennan Johnson is in contention for his Everton debut, while Thierno Barry is expected to lead the attack after an encouraging pre-season. Merlin Rรถhl is also a strong candidate to fill the problematic right-back position.
Crystal Palace have no confirmed outfield absences, but goalkeeper Dean Henderson is doubtful after suffering an ankle problem in the pre-season defeat by Freiburg. Walter Benitez is therefore on standby to make his competitive debut for the Eagles.
Daniel Muรฑoz is another selection doubt. The Colombia international has played only 18 minutes of pre-season since returning from the World Cup, so Oscar Mingueza is expected to start at right wing-back. Ismaรฏla Sarr, Palace’s leading scorer last season with 21 goals, is expected to feature despite recent speculation over his future.
Predicted Lineups
Everton: Jordan Pickford; Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko; Hayden Hackney, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall; Brennan Johnson, Harrison Armstrong, Iliman Ndiaye; Thierno Barry.
Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson; Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards, Chadi Riad; Oscar Mingueza, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell; Yรฉremy Pino, Ismaรฏla Sarr; Jรธrgen Strand Larsen.
How to watch Everton vs Crystal Palace
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2026
Kick-off: 3pm BST / 7:30pm IST
Venue: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
UK: Not televised live because of the Saturday 3pm blackout
India: JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
The match is one of the traditional Saturday 3pm Premier League fixtures and therefore cannot be shown live on UK television under the current broadcasting blackout.
What we say: Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Everton’s impressive record against Palace and home advantage make Moyes’ side slight favourites, but there are enough uncertainties to make a narrow home victory difficult to predict with confidence.
The Toffees have midfield absences and remain short of a natural right-back, while Palace are adapting to a new manager and could also be without their first-choice goalkeeper. Both sides have therefore entered the campaign with selection questions that could affect the rhythm of the game.
Everton should create better opportunities at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Palace possess enough attacking quality through Sarr, Strand Larsen and Pino to punish defensive mistakes. With the visitors also having collected more than half of their league points away from home last season, a competitive opening-day encounter looks likely.
Our prediction: Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace.
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