By Liam McLaughlan
The traditional curtain-raiser to the 2025-26 Premier League season kicks off on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool face Crystal Palace in the FA Community Shield at Wembley.
Fresh from clinching their 20th league title, Liverpool return from pre-season aiming to lift the shield for the first time since 2022 over surprise FA Cup winners Palace, who stunned Manchester City to secure their first major trophy in their club history.
In what will be the 103rd edition of the Community Shield, fans are set for a rematch of the final Premier League fixture of last season.
This will be the first time since 1989 that two sides will contest the Shield having played each other on the final day of the previous league campaign.
Slot expects a challenging encounter
Sunday’s trip to Wembley will be Liverpool’s first encounter with a Premier League side since their 1-1 draw with Palace on the final day of last season.
Arne Slot’s Reds came up against Preston, Stoke, AC Milan, Yokohama F. Marinos and Athletic Bilbao during pre-season, but Sunday’s encounter with the Eagles will be his squad’s most difficult test yet.
In his pre-match press conference, Slot said: “It is nice if you can start the season with the chance of winning something,”
“Unfortunately, we face a very good Crystal Palace that have been very difficult to win against… They showed in the last final – and even in the semi-final – how difficult it is to win a one-off game against them,” he added.
Slot is right to be cautious of the FA Cup holders.
Despite a poor start to their 24/25 season, Oliver Glasner’s side came alive at the turn of the year to become one of the most sturdy in the division, sealing a club-record Premier League points tally in the process.
The Eagles claimed points against big hitters such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Liverpool themselves.
“Counter-attacks, set-pieces, long balls to (Jean-Philippe) Mateta,” Slot added. “They also have the individual quality of their forwards who can create something out of nothing. They are a very good team.”
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Glasner hints at uncertain future at Palace
Oliver Glasner did little to assuage any doubts over his future at club when asked in his pre-match press conference, despite the growing speculation.
The Eagles have had a lacklustre summer so far, having only added left-back Borne Sosa from Ajax and goalkeeper Walter Benitez from PSV.
Speculation has also mired Palace, with club captain Marc Guehi and star-playmaker Eberechi Eze both linked with moves away.
Glasner’s contract expires at the end of the season and was asked if the disappointing transfer window could impact his future at the club.
“At the moment we have three weeks time to get the squad done, so Oliver Glasner’s contract is not important at the moment,” he said.
The Austrian did admit Palace “definitely need two more players, one in the back and one in attack”, to compete both domestically and in Europe.
Despite the conversation surrounding his future, Glasner remains focused on Sunday’s match, remarking that the opportunity to win the Community Shield is ‘“much better than playing in friendlies” in pre-season.
Liverpool team news
Liverpool’s busy transfer window has seen them add Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Georgi Mamardashvili to their ranks. All are expected to feature in Sunday’s fixture in either the starting XI or on the bench.
Alexis Mac Allister is having his minutes carefully managed by Slot after a light pre-season and may not feature for the full 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, defenders Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are sidelined with injuries.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is expected to return between the sticks after spending time away from the squad to tend to personal matters in Brazil.
Crystal Palace team news
Palace are without Cheick Doucoure and Eddie Nketiah, while youngsters Matheus Franca and Caleb Kporha are also unavailable.
Despite transfer speculation, both March Guehi and Eberechi Eze are expected to start on Sunday.
The head-to-head
This will be the first-ever meeting between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Wembley. The Reds are unbeaten in 15 of their last 16 matches against Palace in all competitions (W12 D3 L1).
Palace’s lone win came in April 2024, when they beat Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield.
Despite Liverpool’s record in the fixture, Palace have developed a reputation as a bogey team for the Reds.
From the infamous ‘Crystanbul’ 3-3 comeback in 2014 that extinguished Liverpool’s hopes of Premier League glory to spoiling Steven Gerrard’s farewell Anfield appearance in 2015, Palace have often found ways to frustrate Liverpool over the years.
What can we expect from the game?
Liverpool impressed in pre-season going forward, with new signings Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Jeremie Frimpong linking up fluidly alongside Mo Salah.
Youngster Rio Ngumoha has also emerged, showcasing his unique talent with two goals and two assists in his four appearances.
However, the Reds have looked defensively vulnerable. They have been susceptible to chances on the break, which AC Milan and Yokohama Marinos both exposed.
Crystal Palace will look to exploit the gaps Liverpool leave behind with long balls into Jean-Phillippe Mateta.
Liverpool will also have to be wary of Palace’s set-piece threat. The Eagles scored the second most goals (15) in the division last season from set plays, only behind Arsenal (16).
With Liverpool’s shorter, more technical recruits, such as Frimpong, Wirtz, Kerkez, their aerial strength could be put to the test by Glasner’s men.
With Liverpool looking to start the season strongly and Palace wanting to add another big scalp to their growing list, Sunday’s Community Shield is shaping up to be far more than a glorified friendly.
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