Wembley plays host to the 103rd edition of English football’s customary curtain-raiser on Sunday as Premier League champions Liverpool face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
For Palace, it is a historic first appearance in the Community Shield, while the Reds are chasing a record-extending 17th triumph in the competition.
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool – Preview
Crystal Palace arrive at Wembley for their first-ever Community Shield appearance, fresh from ending a 120-year wait for major silverware by lifting the FA Cup in May. Oliver Glasner’s side shocked Manchester City 1-0 in the final, extending their strong recent record at the national stadium to four wins from six neutral ties.
While the last four debutants in the Community Shield have all lost, seven of the last nine winners have been FA Cup holders, a stat that will give Palace fans hope. They closed pre-season with a 3-1 win over Augsburg in Germany, with a reserve side losing 1-0 in a separate friendly on the same day. European football also awaits, though whether that’s in the Europa League or via a qualifier for the Conference League depends on the outcome of their ongoing appeal.
Liverpool, meanwhile, return to Wembley chasing a 17th Community Shield title (five shared) in what is their 25th appearance in the competition. Arne Slot’s men lost the EFL Cup final here in March but went on to storm the Premier League in his debut campaign.
Arne Slot’s men completed their preparations with a double-header against Athletic Bilbao on Monday, winning 3-2 with the first team after the B team impressed in a 4-1 victory earlier in the day. Pre-season also brought wins over Preston North End, Yokohama F. Marinos, and a 5-0 behind-closed-doors victory against Stoke City, along with a defeat to AC Milan in Hong Kong. The Stoke match was the only clean sheet of the summer.
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace – Team News
Manager Oliver Glasner is hopeful the club’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to demote them to the Conference League will be successful, but his focus is on Sunday’s game.
Eddie Nketiah is an injury doubt, having “missed more or less the whole pre-season,” according to Glasner. Cheick Doucoure will be sidelined for a couple of months, while Matheus Franca and Caleb Kporha are also expected to miss out.
Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi, and Nathaniel Clyne have all returned from injury during preseason, but Chadi Riad remains unavailable. Borna Sosa and Walter Benitez are likely to start on the bench, with Tyrick Mitchell and Dean Henderson preferred in their positions.
The only selection uncertainty appears in central midfield, where one of Daichi Kamada, Jefferson Lerma, or Will Hughes will partner Wharton.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are set to hand club-record signing Florian Wirtz his competitive debut on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister is unlikely to start, with Arne Slot explaining: “He was out for two months, I think, or longer because we didn’t play him in the last four games of the season. So that’s not a situation where you would start a player [and] play him for 90 minutes.”
Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the league meeting between these two teams in May, but his suspension only counts for Premier League games, so that he will be available for the Community Shield.
Defenders Joe Gomez and Connor Bradley are both injury concerns. Gomez picked up an Achilles problem during the club’s Asia tour, while Bradley is nursing a knock.
Alisson is back in training and available after a family emergency forced him to leave the Asia tour early
Head-to-Head & Previous Meetings
Liverpool and Crystal Palace last met on the final day of the 2024–25 Premier League season, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Mohamed Salah equalised late on after Ismaila Sarr’s first-half opener, as Arne Slot’s side collected the point they needed to lift the title.
The Reds have a strong record in this fixture, winning 20 of the last 32 meetings in all competitions. Palace have 6 wins, with the other 6 ending in draws.
This will be the first time the two sides meet at Wembley in any competition.
Key Stats
- This is Liverpool’s 25th appearance in the Charity/Community Shield.
- Liverpool have won the Shield 11 times outright and shared it five times, losing eight times.
- Only Manchester United (31 appearances) have played in the Community Shield more than Liverpool.
- Liverpool and Crystal Palace have met 65 times previously in all competitions, with Liverpool winning 36 of those matches.
- Liverpool have lost only one of their last 16 meetings with Palace, 1-0 defeat at Anfield in April 2024.
- The two sides drew 1-1 at Anfield 77 days ago, on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
- Mohamed Salah has scored nine goals in 14 appearances against Crystal Palace.
- This will be Liverpool’s 46th visit to Wembley, where they have won 23 of their previous 45 matches.
- Each of the last two Community Shield matches, and four of the past six, have been decided by a penalty shootout.
