🔊 The new English season kicks off on August 10 with the Community Shield clash between Crystal Palace and Liverpool. This high-profile encounter will traditionally take place at Wembley. Can the nominal hosts surprise us once again, as they did in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, or will Liverpool get the job done and reaffirm their intentions to defend their Premier League title in the upcoming season? We offer insights to all these questions in our prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 Over the course of their last 34 encounters, Crystal Palace have beaten Liverpool 8 times, drawn 6 times, and suffered 20 defeats. Last season, the Eagles fell to the Merseyside club at home at Selhurst Park in October 2024 (0-1), but managed to hold them to a draw at Anfield in May 2025 (1-1).

Crystal Palace Team Overview

🦅 Oliver Glasner has been at the helm of the Eagles for a year and a half, and while the team remains a solid mid-table side, under Glasner, Palace strive to play on their own terms. Numerous matches where the team took points off the favorites stand as proof. You don't have to look far: in the FA Cup final, Palace defeated Guardiola's Manchester City (1-0). Such successes have sparked rumors of Glasner's potential return to the German Bundesliga, with RB Leipzig reportedly showing interest.

🔗 During the offseason, the FA Cup holders played six friendlies as part of their preparation for the new season. They secured victories over Millwall (1-0), Crawley Town (3-0), and Augsburg (3-1). Palace also drew with Cray Wanderers (1-1). However, they did suffer defeats, losing to Mainz (3-4) and in a second match against Augsburg (0-1).

Liverpool Team Overview

🔴 Arne Slot's debut season was nothing short of remarkable. Few believed that the Dutch manager could clinch the Premier League title in his first year, and with such a commanding lead no less. With 15 matches still to go, it was more or less clear who would be crowned champions. Additionally, Liverpool reached the final of the English League Cup, but fell to Newcastle (1-2). Their Champions League run was less successful; they advanced past the group stage but were knocked out in the round of 16 by eventual winners PSG in a penalty shootout. Last season's FA Cup saw Liverpool exit surprisingly early at the round of 32, losing to modest Plymouth from the Championship (0-1), who ended up being relegated to League One by the season's end.

🔗 As part of their preparations for the new season, Liverpool played five friendly matches. The team suffered just one defeat against Milan (2-4), while securing victories over Preston (3-1), Yokohama (3-1), and twice against Athletic Bilbao (4-1 and 3-2).

Latest news

Crystal Palace

📝 Let's recap: Right-back and team captain Joel Ward has left Crystal Palace after 13 years with the club. He played a crucial role in their rise from the Championship and remained a key figure in their defense for many seasons. Rob Holding and Jeffrey Schlupp have also departed following the expiration of their contracts. There is a possibility that Eberechi Eze might leave, with Arsenal showing keen interest. Reports suggest that Eze is interested in the move and has already settled financial terms with the Gunners—only the transfer fee between the clubs remains to be agreed upon.

💰 The team has strengthened their squad with the addition of left-back Borna Sosa from Ajax for €4.5 million. They have also signed experienced 32-year-old goalkeeper Walter Benítez, who joins from PSV as a free agent.

👨‍⚖️ Crystal Palace has announced the completion of John Textor's share sale. In June, the American businessman sold his 43% stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. The club believes that with Textor's departure, there is no longer a conflict of interest, thus removing the reason for their exclusion from the Europa League. UEFA had moved Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League due to Textor's ownership of Lyon, who are competing in the Europa League. The Eagles have appealed this decision to CAS, with a verdict expected on August 11.

💊 All key players are expected to be fit for the final.

Liverpool

📝 The club is making waves with its transfer campaign. Liverpool have managed to retain their key leaders (Salah, Van Dijk) while making profitable sales of several important players. The Reds sold Tyler Morton to Lyon for €10 million, goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher to Brentford for €14.8 million, Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for €35 million, Luis Díaz to Bayern Munich for €70 million, and Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid for just €10 million. Additionally, forward Darwin Núñez is expected to complete his move to Al-Hilal for €65 million soon.

💰 Meanwhile, Liverpool are actively strengthening their squad. The club acquired Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for €46.9 million, Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for €40 million, Florian Wirtz, also from Bayer, for €125 million, and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for €95 million. Additionally, the Reds are considering moves for Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, and Rodrygo.

💊 All key players are fit and expected to participate in the match.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The Super Cup will be officiated by Chris Kavanagh, a referee who averages 5 yellow cards per match. Last season, Crystal Palace averaged 2.2 yellow cards per game, while Liverpool averaged 1.8. The total number of yellow cards in matches involving Palace was 4.4, and for Liverpool, it was 3.9.

Given these stats, betting on over 2.5 yellow cards in the match seems quite reasonable.

⚽ Goal Prediction

The average total goals in head-to-head clashes between these teams stands at 3.09. The stats from their last six encounters confirm this—only one of those matches saw exactly 3 goals scored, while the others didn't exceed this total.

Considering the nature of the match and the significance of the Super Cup, a bet on under 3.5 goals appears well-founded. Additionally, in the last 12 English Super Cup finals, 11 featured under 3.5 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Last season, Crystal Palace played 48 matches, averaging 4.2 corners per game. The overall average number of corners in their matches was 9.8.

Liverpool, on the other hand, played 56 matches and averaged 6.3 corners per game. The overall average total corners in their matches was 10.5.

Given that the nominal visitors are likely to dominate possession, attack more frequently, and apply pressure near the opposition's goal, it makes sense to predict they will have the advantage in set pieces. Therefore, consider betting on Liverpool to win the corner count.

Liverpool have delivered a powerful season in the league and an equally impressive summer transfer window. Despite the high-profile signings, questions remain about how the team will perform over the entire season's course. Heading into the match against Palace, the Reds are clear favorites, but history shows that such encounters rarely go smoothly for the stronger side.

The South London team has managed to avoid being thrashed by Liverpool in their last nine meetings, with only one defeat by more than two goals—a 0-3 loss—during this period. However, across those nine matches, Crystal Palace have secured just one victory and three draws.

Nevertheless, we predict that Liverpool will come out on top thanks to their superior individual talent and squad depth. Our predicted score is 0-2.