Everton vs Crystal Palace Prediction 22 August 2026
🔊 This is the English Premier League. The opening weekend of the season brings together the Toffees and the Eagles. It's a meeting of two rebuilt projects: Everton have rejuvenated their squad under David Moyes's pragmatic plans, while reigning Conference League winners Crystal Palace arrive in Liverpool with the combination football their new French manager Pierre Sage has introduced. There's an added subplot too, with star wingers Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson both facing their former clubs for the first time following the high-profile swap deal between the two sides last summer.
Head-to-Head
📊 This will be the 36th meeting between the two sides. Everton have won 17 of those matches, while Crystal Palace have managed just six victories. Over the last ten head-to-head meetings, Palace have not won once - Everton took six and the other four ended in draws. Everton have averaged 1.57 goals per game in this fixture, with Palace averaging 1.06.
Head-to-head statistics Everton - Crystal Palace
Everton Team Overview
David Moyes, the experienced manager who returned to the club last year and kept them up, has been given the backing of the new owners for this season, with expectations of progress and a push for European football. He favours a setup built around a solid defensive structure. In pre-season, he surprised many by integrating a large number of young players and shifting towards a more dynamic 4-3-3. The emphasis is on defensive reliability, quick counter-attacks down the flanks, and making the most of set pieces.
With a quality midfield overhaul, Everton are expected to play a more progressive, high-pressing style. The board gave Moyes a substantial budget to address the squad's problem areas. Idrissa Gueye and Seamus Coleman have left, while winger Dwight McNeil joined Crystal Palace as part of the deal that brought Brennan Johnson in.
The arrivals at Goodison Park include Merlin Röhl, Tyriek George, Brennan Johnson, Hayden Hackney and Christian Nørgaard. The squad have built good momentum in pre-season, beating Newcastle 3-1 with confidence. In their final pre-season fixture, Everton drew 1-1 with French side Lille, showing well-organised defensive shape throughout.
Match Results: Everton
Crystal Palace Team Overview
The club enters the new season as reigning Conference League winners. After claiming that historic European trophy last spring, they had an eventful summer: architect of the triumph Oliver Glasner departed for Nottingham, and one of the more interesting tactical minds in French football, Pierre Sage, was appointed on a three-year contract. Last season he did remarkable work with Lens, winning the Coupe de France and guiding the club to a second-place finish and Champions League qualification. Sage favours flexible systems built around ball control, intelligent positional play and pressing traps in midfield.
Over the summer, Brennan Johnson and Maxence Lacroix left the club. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza joined as free agents, Dwight McNeil arrived as part of the deal that sent Johnson out, and the club also signed Xavier Gozoand Anan Halaibi. Pre-season was mixed: heavy defeats to Freiburg and Lens (0-3 in both), a win over Fulham (2-1) and a win over Al-Ula (3-1).
Match Results: Crystal Palace
⚽ Goals Prediction
Everton's manager is a well-known advocate of defensive solidity. Moyes builds his teams from the back, and in his side's first home match of the season, a compact low block is virtually guaranteed. Opening-weekend football tends to be cautious by nature, with teams reluctant to make costly mistakes. Having sold key defender Maxance Lacroix to Chelsea, Pierre Sage has every reason to be conservative defensively as well.
Crystal Palace are unlikely to commit numbers forward, and the pragmatic shape of this match doesn't set up well for the visitors to score freely. Palace have scored no more than one goal away from home in 11 of their last 12 head-to-head meetings. I'd recommend Crystal Palace Team Total - Under 1.5 at odds of 1.4*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Corners are a key weapon for Everton. The team deliberately works play into positions that generate set pieces. The Toffees will look to win corners specifically to put pressure on Palace's backline, which has been weakened by Lacroix's departure. Sage is still building his defensive unit, and in an away match his side will play cautiously, avoiding unnecessary risks near their own goal. Palace defenders will opt to concede a corner rather than attempt a difficult pass under pressure. Total Corners - Over 9.5 at 1.76* looks worth backing here.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
This match has been assigned to Paul Tierney. He is a strict referee who averages around 3.8-4.2 yellow cards per game. On top of that, refereeing guidelines for the 2026/27 season instruct officials to clamp down firmly on time-wasting and dissent from the opening rounds. That should produce a few unnecessary bookings for unsporting behaviour. Fatigue in the second half will also play a role, as defenders start to struggle to track attackers' runs, leading to cynical fouls and inevitable cautions. Total Yellow Cards - Over 2.5 at 1.4* is a confident pick.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers.
⭐️Editor's Pick
For Crystal Palace's new French manager, this trip to Liverpool is his first official Premier League match in charge. Having sold their first-choice defender to Chelsea, Sàge cannot afford to leave the backline exposed. His approach is likely to centre on sterile, unhurried possession in midfield, which should slow the overall tempo and limit clear-cut chances at either end. In the opening weeks of the season, Premier League managers are terrified of losing their first match. If either side manages to score, they will almost certainly shut up shop and defend the lead rather than push for more. A game ending with three or more goals looks extremely unlikely. That's why we're backing Total Goals - Under 2.5. Predicted score: 1-0.
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Betting Tips: Everton - Crystal Palace
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