Community Shield 2025/26: Opta stats and predictions for Crystal Palace v Liverpool | OneFootball

English Premier League

Champions Liverpool face FA Cup winners Palace at Wembley on Sunday

FA Cup winners Crystal Palace take on Premier League champions Liverpool in the season's traditional curtain-raiser on Sunday so get the Opta stats and a few betting options for the Community Shield 2025/26...

Nothing signals the start of the football season like the Community Shield. The traditional Wembley curtain raiser is over 100 years old and the clash between last season's league champions and FA Cup winners is a brilliant way to whet appetites for the campaign ahead.

When is the Community Shield 2025/26?

This year's Community Shield takes place on Sunday 10 August. It kicks off at 15:00 UK time.

Liverpool, who won the title by 10 points, will be taking on Crystal Palace who caused a Wembley upset three months ago when they beat Manchester City in the cup final.

Community Shield regulars Liverpool play new boys Palace

This is Liverpool's fourth appearance in the Community Shield in the last seven years, as many as in the previous 28 years combined. They lost on penalties in both 2019 (v Man City) and 2020 (v Arsenal), before beating Man City 3-1 in 2022.

Crystal Palace are competing in their first ever Community Shield. None of the last four teams to play in the match for the first time have won the trophy, with two of those losing to Liverpool (Southampton 1976, Wimbledon 1988).

Liverpool have only outright won the Community Shield on one of the last six occasions they've played in the match as league champions, beating Wimbledon 2-1 in 1988.

Community Shield often goes to penalties

Three of the last five, includng the last two, Community Shields have been settled by penalty shootouts. It is fairly common in part because there is no extra-time so if the scores are level at 90 minutes the match goes to pens.

Another reason may be that teams are not at full fitness, and don't want to over-exert themselves chasing victory, so are happy for the game to be level and drift to full-time safe in the knowledge they will not be required to play an extra 30 minutes.

Whatever factors, it may be worth backing the Draw at 3/1 in the match odds market and, closer to kick-off, have a look at the odds on either side winning on penalties.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool tends to be tight

It should also be noted that four of the last five Community Shield matches have produced under 2.5 goals, as did both meetings between the sides in 2024/25, with a 1-1 draw at Anfield and the Reds winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park.

In fact, the run goes further back, with Palace pulling off a shock 1-0 win when they went to Liverpool in April 2024. That was, however, Palace's only win over Liverpool in their 16 meetings in all competitions (D3 L12).

Eze to strike at Wembley again?

As for who might get on the scoresheet at Wembley, Mohamed Salah's stunning form last season is no secret. He registered 57 goals (34) and assists (23) in 52 games in all competitions for Liverpool. However, since scoring against Spurs in his first appearance in October 2017, the Egyptian hasn't registered a single goal involvement in any of his last seven games at Wembley Stadium.

Liverpool invested heavily in attack this summer, signing Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Both appeared in a preseason friendly this week and could feature at Wembley.

A better bet, when the goalscorer markets go live later this week, may be Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze. The England man has been heavily linked with a move from Selhurst Park this summer but remains at the club.

He has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 games for Crystal Palace in all competitions (9 goals, 3 assists), netting the Eagles' winner in May's FA Cup final against Man City.