Everton vs Crystal Palace Picks and Predictions for Saturday August 22, 2026

By: Kim Smith Published 08/21/2026, 01:40 AM ET

Everton opens its 2026-27 Premier League campaign on Saturday, August 22, when Crystal Palace visits Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM BST (10:00 AM ET). Everton finished 13th last season and begins its second campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium under David Moyes, while Palace arrives with a new manager after Pierre Sage replaced Oliver Glasner during the summer.

The betting market has Everton as a relatively modest home favorite rather than treating this as a mismatch. Current prices have Everton around +115, with Crystal Palace around +240 and the draw around +240, although the numbers will vary by sportsbook. For more Premier League betting analysis throughout the season, check out our free soccer picks.

Everton Begins With Home-Field Advantage

Everton enters the new season looking for improvement after finishing 13th in 2025-26. There were stretches last season when the Toffees appeared capable of pushing toward the European places, but a late decline left them in the bottom half. The positive entering this campaign is greater stability under Moyes and another year of familiarity with Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Toffees have worked to strengthen their midfield, but their opening-day lineup may not be at full strength. That creates some uncertainty, particularly against a Palace side that enters the opener with fewer reported availability concerns. Still, Everton's continuity under Moyes gives the home side a potentially important advantage in an opening-week fixture.

Everton deserves to be a slight favorite at home, but this doesn't look like a matchup where laying a significant handicap makes sense. Moyes' team should look to control territory, remain organized defensively and prevent Palace from creating dangerous opportunities in transition. With the moneyline sitting slightly above even money, Everton offers a reasonable price if the Toffees can make their home-field advantage count.

Crystal Palace Starts a New Era

Crystal Palace begins the season with a significant change on the sideline after Pierre Sage replaced Oliver Glasner during the summer. Opening a new managerial era away from home creates another variable in a matchup where Palace is already a modest underdog.

One of the primary questions surrounding Palace is whether the Eagles can produce enough consistent offense. Palace had stretches last season when goals were difficult to find, making attacking improvement an important part of their outlook entering 2026-27. A road opener against an Everton side likely to emphasize defensive organization isn't necessarily the easiest environment in which to demonstrate that improvement.

Palace nevertheless has enough quality to make this competitive, and that is why laying a large handicap with Everton doesn't appeal. If Sage can keep his side compact and prevent Everton from establishing an early advantage, this could remain close deep into the second half. The question is whether Palace can create enough high-quality chances to turn a competitive performance into points.