Crystal Palace vs Liverpool: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

Crystal Palace and Liverpool will lock horns Sunday to determine the first title winner of the 2025-26 season in English football. The Eagles will make a short trip from Selhurst Park to Wembley with the goal of pulling the upset against the reigning Premier League champions. They know a thing or two about pulling upsets, though. They won the 2024-25 FA Cup after topping Manchester City in the final.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will aim to show that their success in the 2024-25 camapign wasn’t a fluke. Arne Slot’s men improved their squad substantially during the transfer period by adding quality talent such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike. As such, it’s not surprising to see them as overwhelming favourites ahead of this clash.

The Eagles Want To Continue Soaring

Crystal Palace were dealt a blow when they were prohibited from playing in the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying to start the new season on a positive note. Imagining a scenario in which they defeat Liverpool looks unlikely, to say the least, but Palace have proven they can compete against the Reds since they’ve lost only two of their last five head-to-head meetings (W2, D1, L2).

Perhaps the biggest win for Palace heading into the new campaign is the fact that they’ve managed to keep their core of the squad for one more season. Their preseason activity was a mixed bag and only won three of their six friendlies (W3, D1, L2), though, so they shouldn’t be filled with confidence ahead of this tough matchup.

Crystal Palace Injury & Suspension News

The Eagles won’t be at full strength for this game, as they’ll be missing Eddie Nketiah (hamstring), Chadi Riad (knee) and Cheick Doucoure (knee). They managed to keep Eberechi Eze in the squad, though, as the star playmaker was linked with a move to Arsenal that never materialized. Expect Palace to play a similar XI to the one that defeated City in the 2024-25 FA Cup final.

First Test For New-Look Reds

Liverpool had one of the best squads in the world during the 2024-25 season, but manager Arne Slot found a way to strengthen the side even more during the summer. Gone are Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez, but the team added young, exciting talent in Milos Kerkez, Frimpong, Wirtz and Ekitike. Given their depth and quality across the board, any result that’s not a win here would be a significant blow for the Reds.

All things considered, Liverpool have looked good in preseason and have won four of five matches – their lone defeat came against AC Milan by a 4-2 score on July 26. Despite having several new names in the squad, don’t expect Liverpool to tweak their approach too much. They should be able to dominate possession and control the pace of the game with relative ease in this one.

Liverpool Injury & Suspension News

Liverpool have a fair share of concerns heading into this contest. Alisson (personal) and Virgil van Dijk (illness) remain questionable to play Sunday, but unless something happens in the build-up to the game, both players should be in the XI. Conor Bradley (undisclosed) is expected to be available, but the same can’t be said about Joe Gomez (Achilles). Stefan Bajcetic, who has returned from his loan at UD Las Palmas, is out with an injury.

Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Prediction

Don’t expect this game to be a back-and-forth contest. The two head-to-head meetings between these two sides in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign produced three total goals. Plus, four of their last five head-to-head meetings have seen a total of two or fewer goals. The same can be said about six of the past seven editions of the FA Community Shield. All signs point to this game being a low-scoring affair as well.

CryptoGamba tip: Under 2.5 total goals – 2.08 @ Stake