Everton v Crystal Palace: Key stats and talking points
An Everton side who competed for the European places for much of last season begin this campaign against a Crystal Palace team playing their first Premier League game under manager Pierre Sage. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into their meeting at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. Everton begin the new season with perhaps two main ambitions: a challenge for the European places…
Everton and Crystal Palace kick off their Premier League 2025-26 season with an eagerly anticipated match at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Toffees, who previously chased the European places, aim for a full season challenge and improved home performances. Their home points-per-game tally last season (1.2) was the lowest among teams starting in a new stadium, with their struggles in their previous eight league outings to start a new Premier League campaign raising concerns.
Manager Pierre Sage takes over Crystal Palace, following the departure of Oliver Glasner. Palace's main focus is likely to be addressing their recurring weaknesses, particularly conceding a high number of set-piece goals – 20 in total last season, which was the joint most among all teams. Their opponents, Everton, have also struggled in set-pieces, conceding 39% of all goals conceded from set-pieces last season, the highest rate among non-relegated sides.
Everton's lack of goal-scoring during their opening four matches of the previous season and their current goalless run of eight matches have heightened the importance of their upcoming clash with Palace. The Blues have not won a Premier League game against Palace in over ten years, with 12 losses and 10 draws in that span. Additionally, Crystal Palace has not won a Premier League game against Everton away from home in more than a decade.
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