Everton open their Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, with Hill Dickinson Stadium hosting Pierre Sage’s first competitive match in charge of the visitors.
David Moyes’ side finished 13th last season, missing out on European football after a poor run to the finish, and will look to make home advantage count against opponents in transition.
Palace arrive off the back of a remarkable run of success under Oliver Glasner — the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2025, followed by the UEFA Conference League last season — but have since lost the manager responsible and sold three of their most important players. Everton are unbeaten in nine consecutive league meetings with Palace and have not lost to them at Goodison Park or Hill Dickinson Stadium since 2014.
Everton vs Crystal Palace – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 22 August 2026
- Kick-off: 15:00 BST
- Venue: Hill Dickinson Stadium
- Referee: Paul Tierney
- VAR: Timothy Wood
- Last meeting: Crystal Palace 2–2 Everton, 10 May 2026, Premier League
Team news
Everton
Moyes confirmed James Garner will miss the opener as he continues his recovery from a hernia operation. Tim Iroegbunam is also out with an abductor strain expected to keep him sidelined for at least six weeks. Christian Nørgaard is a doubt, with Moyes stating he “may not be fit enough to start.”
New signing Brennan Johnson, who won the Conference League with Palace just months ago, is in contention to feature against his former club. Academy graduate Harrison Armstrong has been earmarked for a starting role after an impressive pre-season.
Crystal Palace
Dean Henderson is a fitness doubt after picking up a knock in the pre-season defeat to Freiburg, with Sage confirming a final decision will follow a fresh assessment. Jean-Philippe Mateta has not featured in pre-season since returning from the World Cup but has been confirmed as available for the matchday squad.
Cheick Doucouré is back in contention after injury. Daniel Muñoz has managed just 18 minutes of pre-season football following Colombia’s World Cup run and may start on the bench, with Oscar Mingueza in line to deputise. New signing Zavier Gozo is out with a hip injury.
Form
Everton
Moyes’ side ended last season on a seven-game winless run that cost them a European place, but the summer has brought a refresh — Merlin Röhl, Hayden Hackney, Tyler Dibling and Brennan Johnson have all arrived to strengthen a squad still searching for a specialist right-back. Pre-season results have been encouraging, including wins over Hamburger SV and Newcastle United, though club officials have been candid that the transfer business is not yet finished.
Crystal Palace
The scale of Palace’s rebuild is significant. Glasner’s departure for Nottingham Forest followed a season that delivered the club’s first Conference League title, but Sage inherits a squad stripped of Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and, most recently, Maxence Lacroix. Dwight McNeil arrives from Everton as one of the more eye-catching additions, while pre-season form — including a defeat to Freiburg in the final warm-up — has offered little reassurance ahead of a daunting opening assignment.
Predicted lineups
Everton predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Hackney, Dewsbury-Hall; Johnson, Armstrong, Ndiaye; Barry
Crystal Palace predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Canvot, Richards, Riad; Mingueza, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Strand Larsen
How to watch Everton vs Crystal Palace?
This match will not be broadcast live on television in the United Kingdom, in line with the traditional 3pm Saturday blackout. Coverage will be available through in-play text updates on club channels and major football news sites.
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