The stage is set at Wembley Stadium for the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, with kick-off at 15:00. This year’s FA Community Shield pits the defending Premier League champions against the FA Cup winners—a clash that has produced drama, history and the occasional upset.

Premier League vs FA Cup: The Numbers

Recent history suggests FA Cup winners often rise to the occasion, claiming seven of the last nine Shields. Liverpool have experienced both sides of that trend, defeating Manchester City in 2022 but losing to Arsenal in 2020. Crystal Palace face a formidable challenge in their first appearance in the competition, as none of the last four debutants have managed to lift the trophy.

Looking further back, when the league champions have met the FA Cup winners, the league side has triumphed 42 times, while the cup holders have won 20. Ten matches ended in draws, with the Shield shared.

When the Shield Was Shared

Before penalty shootouts were introduced in 1992, a draw meant the trophy was shared between the two clubs. Liverpool have lifted the Shield 16 times—11 outright and five shared. They split the title with Everton in 1986 and with Manchester United in 1990.

Liverpool: Strong Pre-Season But Defensive Concerns

New manager Arne Slot enjoyed a positive Monday night with two friendly wins over Athletic Club, rotating heavily between what looked like an ‘A’ and ‘B’ side. Liverpool have won five of their six pre-season matches, though they have yet to keep a clean sheet.

Their last competitive outing was the final day of last season, a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Despite going down to ten men when Ryan Gravenberch was sent off and trailing for most of the match, Liverpool rallied to equalise and finished superior in the underlying numbers, posting an xG tally of 2.14 to Palace’s 1.77 before lifting the Premier League trophy.

Crystal Palace: History in the Making

Manager Oliver Glasner has already delivered silverware to Selhurst Park, guiding Palace to their first FA Cup triumph

 with a shock 1-0 win over Manchester City in May. Eberechi Eze struck the early winner while goalkeeper Dean Henderson produced a heroic penalty save to secure the victory.

Since that triumph, Palace have been caught up in an ongoing legal battle over their place in European competition. UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules saw them demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League because minority owner John Textor also has influence at Lyon. The dispute is being contested at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a potential distraction in the lead-up to Wembley.

Team News

Crystal Palace can call on summer signings Walter Benítez and Borna Sosa, though they are without Cheick Doucouré, Matheus Franca, Caleb Kporha and Eddie Nketiah due to injury.

Liverpool have Virgil van Dijk back in training after illness, and Alisson Becker has rejoined the squad following a personal matter. Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to start in goal after regular pre-season minutes. Conor Bradley is in a race to be fit, Joe Gomez remains out but is close to returning, and Alexis Mac Allister is available but unlikely to complete the full match.

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