Everton vs Crystal Palace: Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

Oliver Glasner carved his name into Crystal Palace’s history books by lifting three trophies with the club, but he departed at the end of last season. Now Pierre Sage is tasked with picking up the fallen standard. The Frenchman’s first examination will be a tough away clash against David Moyes’ Everton, a side more than ready to spoil the debut of their new managerial counterpart.

Everton: A Loss of Stability

In recent seasons, Everton have built a reputation as a tough, pragmatic outfit capable of consistently absorbing pressure. However, their preparations for the new campaign have been unusually nervy and chaotic. The Toffees managed to lose to lowly Stoke City (0–1), but quickly bounced back with impressive wins over Newcastle (3–1) and Hamburg (2–1). Yet a 1–1 draw with Lille in their final dress rehearsal before competitive action only underlined the general inconsistency, leaving plenty of questions about the team’s true readiness.

The summer transfer business between these two rivals adds an extra layer of intrigue: Everton swapped Dwight McNeil for Brennan Johnson from Palace. Beyond that, the Toffees have focused their resources on rebuilding the midfield, a logical move after the departure of Idrissa Gueye – last season’s engine in that zone. The club made Merlin Rohl’s loan permanent, and also signed Hayden Hackney and Christian Nørgaard. But despite all the effort, it is precisely in midfield where the biggest problems have emerged: James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, and Nørgaard himself are all sidelined through injury.

Crystal Palace: Mourning the Past, Fearing the Future

After Oliver Glasner’s exit, the club is entering an entirely new era, and under Pierre Sage the outlook for the Eagles feels more worrying than promising. Their summer preparations raised serious questions about the attacking potential of the London side. Across seven friendlies, the team failed to score in four of them, and in three of those they meekly lost by the same 0–3 scoreline – against modest Bromley, Lens, and Freiburg. The only genuinely positive moment was a 2–1 victory over Fulham.

Undoubtedly, the biggest loss for Palace came on the coaching bench, but Glasner’s departure is not the only upheaval. The defence lost its leader: Maxence Lacroix was sold to Chelsea. The weakened backline is supposed to be reinforced by free-agent signings Oscar Mingueza from Celta Vigo and former Ajax and Arsenal man Takehiro Tomiyasu, as well as Axel Disasi, whose loan from the same Chelsea will soon be made official. The attack has been freshened up with the purchase of Anan Khalaili from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise and the aforementioned swap with Everton that brought Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park. But perhaps the biggest reason for optimism is the clean bill of health: the Eagles approach the opening round without any injuries.

Predicted Lineups

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford – O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko – Dewsbury-Hall, Hackney – Ndiaye, Armstrong, George – Barry

Out: Iroegbunam, Garner, Nørgaard (all injured)

Head coach: David Moyes

Crystal Palace (3-4-3): Henderson – Kanwo, Richards, Riad – Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell – Sarr, Larsen, McNeil

Out: None

Head coach: Pierre Sage

Referee: Paul Tierney

Tierney is a fairly lenient official, averaging 3.33 yellow cards per match with 20.17 fouls. He is more likely to send players off than award penalties: in 12 games he has shown two red cards and given just one spot kick.

Prediction and Bet

Main prediction: Everton win at 2.22

Despite their midfield injury woes, Everton look more cohesive than a Palace side still in transition. Crystal Palace are struggling to adapt to Pierre Sage’s demands: during pre-season they failed to score in four matches, and their defence has been noticeably weakened by the sale of Maxence Lacroix. Moreover, the Toffees have historically been a very awkward opponent for the Londoners. Palace’s last victory in this fixture dates all the way back to 2022, and their winless run now stretches to 11 matches, with Everton winning seven of those. Backed by their home crowd, the hosts should be able to exploit the visitors’ vulnerabilities and extend that positive run. We back an Everton victory at odds of 2.22.

Total goals prediction: Under 2.5 at 1.90

As noted, Crystal Palace are finding it critically hard to break down opposition defences. But we shouldn’t expect a goal fest from the hosts either: David Moyes’ Everton have traditionally been one of the lowest-scoring sides in the league. That trend continued in the summer – only in three of their seven friendlies did the Toffees manage more than one goal. Given the midfield absences and the typical caution of an opening round, this match risks turning into a tight tactical duel with few chances. Our pick: total goals under 2.5 at 1.90.