Crystal Palace's New Era Begins Against Everton
Crystal Palace step into a new era on Saturday – and straight into one of their oldest problems.
Pierre Sage’s first competitive game in charge is no gentle introduction. A trip to Everton, at a ground where Palace simply do not win, will test both his ideas and his players’ nerve as the 2026/27 Premier League season kicks off at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sage’s big stage debut
Sage arrives with a reputation already burnished. Last season he turned Lens into one of France’s sharpest outfits, lifting the Coupe de France and driving them to second in Ligue 1. Now he inherits a Palace side fresh from a historic Europa Conference League triumph and a fanbase suddenly accustomed to ambition rather than survival.
He has not come to Merseyside to hide. The Frenchman has been clear: Palace will travel looking to win, not simply to survive the opening day.
History, though, offers little comfort. Palace have not won their first Premier League fixture since 2023/24, and the dugout has not been kind to debutants either. Only two of the club’s previous 16 permanent managers have opened their league reign with a victory.
The away form does give Sage something to cling to. Last season, Palace were one of the division’s most effective travellers, taking 24 of their 45 points on the road. This is a group that knows how to manage hostile afternoons.
They will need every ounce of that resilience.
Everton’s home itch – and Moyes’ warning sign
Everton begin their second season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium still searching for a sense of home. The first campaign there never quite settled; the Toffees’ form tailed off badly, and a late seven-game winless run shattered what had looked like a realistic push for Europe.
David Moyes has steadied Everton before and he will not need reminding of another uncomfortable statistic. His side have lost their opening league game in each of the last four seasons, failing to score in any of them. One more defeat would deepen a pattern he will be desperate to break.
Yet when Palace arrive, Everton usually find a way.
The numbers are brutal from a south London perspective. Palace have won just one of their last 23 Premier League meetings with Everton, drawing 10 and losing 12. Across all competitions, Everton are 11 games unbeaten in this fixture. Palace have not won away to Everton since the 2014/15 season.
For all Moyes’ concerns, this is a matchup that has repeatedly favoured blue.
Set-piece scars and fragile runs
If Sage needed a clear early task, last season’s defensive record has provided it. Palace conceded 20 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League, the joint-highest tally in the division. Those dead-ball lapses accounted for 39% of all the league goals they let in – a higher proportion than any other side.
Against a Moyes team, that is a flashing red warning light.
Everton are not without their own issues. That seven-game winless stretch to end last season still hangs over them, and they have never gone eight Premier League matches without a victory under Moyes. One more blank afternoon and this becomes more than a blip; it becomes a trend.
Something has to give. Either Everton break their opening-day curse, or Palace finally crack a fixture that has haunted them for more than a decade.
Palace team news: decisions and dilemmas
Sage’s first teamsheet will tell its own story.
Dean Henderson is a major doubt after twisting his ankle in the final pre-season friendly against Freiburg. If he fails to recover, “serial winner” Walter Benitez is poised for his competitive debut in goal, a high-pressure introduction in front of a demanding home crowd.
On the right flank, Daniel Muñoz may have to settle for a watching brief. He has played just 18 minutes of pre-season following his involvement at the 2026 World Cup, which opens the door for new signing Oscar Mingueza to start at right wing-back.
Up front, Sage must navigate around another absence. Jean-Philippe Mateta has not featured since the World Cup, leaving Jorgen Strand Larsen as the likely choice to spearhead the attack.
Ismaila Sarr, last season’s top scorer with 21 goals, is expected to start despite ongoing speculation over his future. His pace and direct running remain central to Palace’s threat, especially away from home.
Behind him, Matheus Franca has caught the eye in pre-season with four goals, but competition for attacking places is fierce. The Brazilian may have to wait his turn from the bench, an impact option rather than a headline act on day one.
Sage knows what he walks into: a hostile ground, a bogey opponent, a club still learning to live with higher expectations. If he can bend this fixture to his will at the first attempt, the story of Palace’s season might change before it has even begun.
