The 2025–26 season gets underway on Sunday with Premier League champions Liverpool facing FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.
The Reds have a proud history in the competition and are looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2022 in their 25th appearance. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have lifted the trophy more times than Liverpool’s 16 and this will be the Reds third appearance in the fixture this decade.
Meanwhile, opponents Palace are making history — this is their first-ever Community Shield, earned after winning their first major trophy in May by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, with coverage starting at 2pm BST before the game kicks off at 3pm BST. Fans can also stream the match on Discovery+.
Team form
Palace’s off-season has been dominated by uncertainty surrounding their European status. Their FA Cup win should have secured Europa League football, but a demotion to the Conference League is currently under appeal. Squad changes have been minimal, with just two notable arrivals and the retention of most of their 2024–25 heroes.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have undergone a major rebuild despite their title success. Arne Slot’s side have been Europe’s biggest spenders this summer, with plenty of attention on how their new look XI will perform under the arch.
Palace’s triumph at Wembley in the FA Cup final was their fourth win in six neutral games at the stadium. While the last four Community Shield debutants have all lost, history also shows that seven of the last nine winners were FA Cup holders.
Oliver Glasner’s side will be aiming to improve on last season’s 12th-place finish. Their pre-season ended with a 3-1 win for the first team against Augsburg in Germany, although a reserve side lost 1-0 in the second match of the double-header.
Liverpool wrapped up pre-season with a their own double-header against Athletic Bilbao, with both the reserve and first sides winning their respective games 4-1 and 3-2.
Slot’s men also beat Preston North End and Yokohama F. Marinos earlier in the summer, but lost vs AC Milan in Japan. The Reds begin their Premier League title defence at home to Bournemouth on Friday night.
Managers’ pre-match comments
Arne Slot (Liverpool):
“It’s nice if you can start the season by winning something. We have a chance right at the start. Palace have shown how tough they are in one-off games.”
Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace):
“Liverpool are the favourites, just as Man City were. We beat them, so we believe we have chances here as well.”
Team news and predicted lineups
Marc Guehi, a reported Liverpool target, is one to watch closely, while Adam Wharton and Nathaniel Clyne are back fit. Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucouré remain sidelined.
For Liverpool, captain Virgil van Dijk is fit to return, while new goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is likely to start with Alisson a doubt despite training on Thursday. Alexis Mac Allister will feature but is not yet ready for 90 minutes. Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley remain out injured.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitiké
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Muñoz, Lerma, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
