Crystal Palace and Liverpool will face off for the FA Community Shield tie at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, with both teams eager to begin the season with a trophy.
On paper, Liverpool are the better team, but they cannot afford to underestimate Crystal Palace in the FA Community Shield tie on Sunday. The Eagles managed to win the FA Cup last season by defeating Manchester City in the final. They have what it takes to get the job done here and perform against the odds.
Liverpool have been very active in the transfer market, and they have brought in quality signings this summer. Some of their new players are expected to be a part of the game this weekend, and it will be interesting to see if they can step up and deliver in their first competitive outing for the team.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace could still lose key players like Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window. It will be interesting to see if they can hand the Eagles a parting gift by winning the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner will be without Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucouré due to their long-term knee injuries. Other than that, the Crystal Palace manager will have a fully-fit squad to choose from for the game against Liverpool this weekend.
Crystal Palace are likely to shape up in their usual 3-4-3 formation against Liverpool, with Dean Henderson in goal. In the back three, Chris Richards is likely to start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi. Meanwhile, Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will be the two wing-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
The wide duo will look to protect the back three and help out in the final third. Adam Wharton will form the central midfield pairing alongside Jefferson Lerma, and the two players will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the side. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace, with Eberechi Eze and Ismaïla Sarr on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze
Liverpool
Joe Gomez is the only absentee for Liverpool for the FA Community Shield tie against Cystal Palace. Other than that, Arne Slot has a fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend. Alisson Becker has missed the pre-season campaign in recent weeks, and Giorgi Mamardashvili could be handed a start here.
Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the Georgian international. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and create opportunities going forward. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate will form the central defensive partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will add creativity, defensive cover, and control to the side. Florian Wirtz will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are likely to start on the flanks. Hugo Ekitike will lead the line for Liverpool against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Key Stats
Nine goals have been scored in the last six meetings between Crystal Palace and Liverpool.
Liverpool are unbeaten in five of their last six matches against Crystal Palace.
Liverpool are making their 25th appearance in the FA Community Shield (W11, 5 shared trophies, L8).
Since 2007, Crystal Palace have won four of their six matches played at Wembley.
Liverpool have won the Community Shield outright just once in their last six outings as champions.
Player to Watch
Florian Wirtz
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The German international will make his competitive debut for Liverpool on Sunday, and he is the key player to watch out for. He has been quite impressive in pre-season, and Liverpool will look at him to unlock the Crystal Palace defence with his movement, technical ability, vision, and passing.
Liverpool struggled to break down deep defences at times last season, and they have invested in the 22-year-old playmaker to alleviate that weakness. It will be interesting to see if Wirtz can deliver the goods against Crystal Palace.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Both teams are likely to put up a strong showing here, and this is likely to be a close contest. This is the first competitive game of the season, and the players are still not quite at 100%. While the performance levels might not be at a world-class level, this is still likely to be a competitive game, and it will be difficult to separate the two teams.
However, Liverpool have more quality and depth in the squad, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory here. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but the Premier League champions will come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Arne Slot and his charges.