Everton vs Crystal Palace: Moyes Returns and Sage Debuts

The Premier League curtain lifts in Liverpool on Saturday, and it does so with a story on both benches.

At Hill Dickinson Stadium, David Moyes walks back into Everton’s dugout to launch the 2026/27 campaign against Crystal Palace, kick-off at 10:00 a.m. local time on August 22. Across from him, Pierre Sage takes charge of Palace in the top flight for the first time. One club going back to an old blueprint. The other trying something new.

For both, this feels bigger than Game One.

Where and how to watch in the United States

Everton vs Crystal Palace will be shown live across multiple platforms in the U.S., with fans spoiled for choice on how to tune in.

• UNIVERSO
• USA Network
• Fubo
• DirecTV Stream
• Sling TV

All carry the same promise: Moyes’ second Everton era and Sage’s Premier League bow, live.

The managers and the mood

Moyes returns to a club that knows him well, but this is no nostalgia tour. Everton want a hard reset after recent struggles, and a home opener offers the perfect stage to set the tone. A strong start in front of their own supporters would immediately steady nerves and hint at a more stable season.

Palace arrive with a different kind of energy. Sage, the French coach tasked with reshaping the Eagles, steps into the Premier League with a squad that already has recognisable quality in key areas. His brief is clear: sharpen the identity, keep the stars, and show that Palace can do more than simply survive.

He has wasted no time in the transfer window, and the club’s stance has been just as decisive.

Palace draw a line in the sand

The noise around Selhurst Park has centred on one name: Adam Wharton. Manchester City tested Palace’s resolve for the England international midfielder. The answer was blunt. No.

Sage has been clear that Wharton is not for sale this summer, a message that underlines his importance to the new project. Keep the core, then build around it.

That build continues at the back. Palace are closing in on Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi on a season-long loan, a move designed to stiffen a defence that will have to be compact and organised from the first whistle on Merseyside. With a new coach, a protected playmaker, and reinforcements on the way, Palace do not travel as underdogs quietly hoping. They travel with intent.

Everton’s window and the Grealish question

Everton have been busy too, if a little more circumspect. The headline pursuit is Jack Grealish. The club remain in dialogue over a potential move for the Manchester City winger, with chief executive Angus Kinnear confirming contact.

Whether that deal gets done before the window closes is another matter. For now, it hangs over Everton’s summer like a tantalising “what if?”. Even without him, though, Moyes goes into the opener with a squad that looks settled enough to compete, at least in the short term.

The real judgement starts now, under the lights and noise of a Premier League weekend.

Projected XIs and team news

Moyes’ first selection back at Everton is expected to be familiar in shape but fresh in personnel.

He is set to go with:

• Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
• Defence: Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Jake O'Brien
• Midfield: Harrison Armstrong, Merlin Roehl, Hayden Hackney
• Attack: Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall supporting striker Thierno Barry

Everton will have to cope without James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, and Christian Noergaard, all sidelined through injury. No suspensions are listed.

Sage’s first Premier League XI for Palace is expected to line up as:

• Goalkeeper: Walter Benitez
• Defence: Jaydee Canvot, Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell
• Midfield/wide: Ismaila Sarr, Dwight McNeil, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Oscar Mingueza
• Attack: Joergen Strand Larsen

Dean Henderson is the only absentee for the visitors, and Palace also arrive with a clean disciplinary slate.

On paper, both teams look balanced. On the pitch, the new managers will find out very quickly who has adapted fastest.

Pre-season clues – and contradictions

Form in July and early August rarely tells the whole story, but it can whisper a few hints.

Everton finished pre-season with a 2-2-1 record from five matches. Their best showing came in a 3-1 win over Newcastle, a reminder of what they can do when the press bites and the chances are taken. A 2-1 victory away at Hamburger SV added another positive marker.

The other side of that coin? Defeats to VfB Stuttgart (3-1) and Stoke City (1-0), with six goals conceded across those two games. Their final warm-up, a 1-1 draw with Lille on August 15, left the picture mixed rather than decisive.

Palace’s summer told a similar story of inconsistency. They went 2-1-2, with a 2-1 win over Fulham and a 3-1 success against Al-Ula FC offering encouragement. But a 3-0 defeat to Freiburg on August 15, plus another 3-0 loss to Lens, exposed vulnerabilities. A 0-0 draw with Famalicao rounded off a run in which they scored six and conceded seven.

Both teams, then, step into the real thing still searching for a true measure of themselves. That uncertainty adds an edge.

The recent rivalry

The last time these two met, they shared four goals and the points. A 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park on May 10, 2026, underlined how little has separated them on certain days.

Zoom out, though, and Everton have had the better of it in recent seasons. Across the last five Premier League meetings, the Toffees have three wins, with two draws and no Palace victories. Everton have scored nine times in those games, Palace seven.

At Hill Dickinson Stadium, the numbers lean even more heavily towards the hosts. Everton have won both previous league encounters at the ground: 2-1 in October 2025 and 2-1 in September 2024. Two games, two identical scorelines, and a stadium that has not yet been kind to the Eagles.

The table – and the stakes

Crystal Palace arrive listed eighth in the Premier League table, Everton ninth, heading into this opening fixture. Positions at this stage are largely nominal, but the symbolism is not.

Win here and you plant an early flag in the top half. Lose, and the familiar questions start to swirl before August is even out.

Watching from abroad? Why a VPN matters

For fans on the move or living outside the broadcast regions, geo-restrictions can block access to usual streaming services. That is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes into play.

A VPN allows you to create a secure, encrypted connection and virtually switch your location to a country where the match is being shown. By doing that, you can bypass regional blackouts and watch your regular broadcaster’s coverage as if you were at home.

The basic process is straightforward:

1. Sign up to a reputable VPN provider and install the app on your device.
2. Open the app and connect to a server in the country where your chosen stream is available.
3. Clear your browser cookies or refresh your app so the new location is recognised.
4. Log in to your broadcaster’s website or app and start watching.

For those who want the full match-day feel, the same principle applies to the big screen. Set the VPN up on a smart TV, a streaming stick, or via a laptop connected to your television, and the stadium atmosphere suddenly feels a lot closer.

Moyes trying to rekindle an old flame. Sage trying to light a new one. Everton protecting home ground. Palace trying to rewrite their record at Hill Dickinson.

By the time the final whistle goes on Saturday, one of these projects will already feel that little bit more believable.