Everton vs Crystal Palace: Moyes Returns and Sage Debuts
The Premier League curtain lifts at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, and it does so with a storyline that writes itself. David Moyes walks back into Everton’s dugout for the start of the 2026/27 season, while Pierre Sage steps into the top flight for the first time, charged with reshaping Crystal Palace.
Kick-off is set for 10:00 a.m. local time on August 22, with a packed home crowd in Liverpool ready to judge this new Everton era from the first whistle.
Where to watch in the United States
American viewers have no shortage of options for this one. Everton vs Crystal Palace will be shown live on:
- UNIVERSO
- USA Network
The game is also available via several streaming platforms, including:
- Fubo
- DirecTV Stream
- Sling TV
Each carries the match live for subscribers, giving fans multiple routes to follow Moyes’ first steps back in charge and Sage’s Premier League debut.
Moyes’ second act and a restless Everton
This is not a gentle introduction for Moyes. He starts his tenure at home, under pressure, with a fanbase that has heard promises before and wants evidence now.
Everton have worked to steady themselves ahead of the opener. The club remain in talks over a potential move for Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, with chief executive Angus Kinnear confirming contact has been made. Whether that blockbuster move happens before the window shuts is another matter, but the squad for Palace looks largely settled.
Moyes is expected to lean on experience at the back. Jordan Pickford starts in goal, shielded by a back four of Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Jake O'Brien. It’s a group built for aerial duels and last-ditch blocks, exactly the kind of defensive base Moyes has always trusted.
In midfield, Harrison Armstrong, Merlin Roehl and Hayden Hackney are set to provide the engine room, while Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will operate around striker Thierno Barry, tasked with knitting attacks together and supplying goals.
There are absentees. James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam and Christian Noergaard all miss out through injury, though Everton have no suspensions to worry about. The core remains intact, and that should give Moyes enough to set a clear early marker for how his Everton will play.
Sage steps into the spotlight at Palace
On the opposite bench, Pierre Sage walks into the Premier League with a squad that has already been reshaped in his image. Palace arrive with ambition, not just to survive but to grow.
The transfer window around Selhurst Park has been noisy. Manchester City tested Palace’s resolve for Adam Wharton, but the answer was emphatic: no sale. Sage has made it clear the England international is central to his plans this summer, and the club backed that stance.
At the back, Palace are closing in on Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi on a season-long loan, a move designed to harden a defensive line that will need to be sharp from the very first game.
For now, Sage’s projected XI has Walter Benitez in goal, with a back four of Jaydee Canvot, Chadi Riad, Chris Richards and Tyrick Mitchell. It’s a unit that blends youth and mobility with enough physicality to cope with Premier League forwards.
The midfield and wide areas carry real intrigue. Ismaila Sarr, Dwight McNeil, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton and Oscar Mingueza are all set to feature behind striker Joergen Strand Larsen. There is pace, craft and pressing energy in that group, and if they click quickly, Palace will be a threat on transitions and from wide areas.
Dean Henderson is the only listed injury concern for the visitors, and Palace travel without suspensions. Sage, at least, starts with a near full-strength squad.
Form guide: questions still to answer
Pre-season has offered hints, not answers.
Everton come into the opener off a 2-2-1 record from their five warm-up games. Their most recent outing, a 1-1 draw with Lille on August 15, underlined both their resilience and lingering issues in front of goal. A 3-1 win over Newcastle stood out as their most convincing performance, while a 2-1 victory away to Hamburger SV showed they can grind out results on the road.
The warning signs came in defeats to VfB Stuttgart (3-1) and Stoke City (1-0), matches in which they conceded six goals combined. That defensive looseness will not be tolerated by Moyes for long.
Crystal Palace’s pre-season reads 2-1-2. The final dress rehearsal, a 3-0 loss to Freiburg on August 15, raised concerns about their defensive shape and ability to ride out pressure. Yet there were brighter moments: a 2-1 win over Fulham and a 3-1 victory against Al-Ula FC showcased their attacking potential. A 3-0 defeat to Lens and a 0-0 draw with Famalicao rounded off a mixed set of results, six goals scored and seven conceded.
Both managers walk into this opener still learning about their teams. Competitive football will strip away the illusions.
Head-to-head: Everton’s recent edge
History leans blue in this fixture, at least lately.
The last meeting, on May 10, 2026 at Selhurst Park, ended 2-2 in a lively Premier League draw. Across the previous five league clashes, Everton have three wins, with the other two games finishing level. Palace have not beaten them in that stretch.
Everton have scored nine times in those five encounters, Palace seven. At Hill Dickinson Stadium, the home side have been ruthless: two wins from two, both by a 2-1 scoreline, in September 2024 and October 2025.
Crystal Palace will feel it is time that pattern changed. Everton will argue it doesn’t need to.
The table and the tension
On paper, there is barely anything between them. Palace sit eighth in the Premier League standings, Everton ninth, heading into this opening fixture. It’s early, of course, but positions still carry weight in the narrative of a season.
This is not just another opener. It is Moyes trying to reassert himself at a club that once defined his managerial reputation, and Sage attempting to announce Palace as something more than mid-table furniture.
One manager returns to familiar ground. The other steps into a new world. By the time the final whistle goes at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which project will feel like it has taken the first real step forward?
