The curtain rises: Wembley Showdown - LFC vs Crystal Palace

The eagerly anticipated 2025/26 football season is set to kick off in style this weekend, with the first piece of silverware up for grabs. This Sunday, Wembley Stadium will host the FA Community Shield, an epic clash between Premier League champions Liverpool and FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.

Catch all the live action on Showmax Premier League on Sunday, 10 August 2025, at 16:00 SA time.

For Liverpool, this match is a chance to build on their impressive Wembley history. While they lost the Carabao Cup final at England’s national stadium last season, the Reds were on a remarkable run of wins there before that. It’s also a pivotal moment for new boss Arne Slot, who is keen to secure his first trophy at the helm. However, preparations have been far from smooth.

According to reports, Slot is already facing some troubling injury concerns. After their recent pre-season double-header against Athletic Club, key players such as Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez were absent through injury. Star goalkeeper Alisson Becker is also still in Brazil. While Slot reportedly played down fears over Alisson and Virgil van Dijk missing the start of the season, there are major doubts over Bradley and Gomez being fit in time for their title defence against Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace arrive at Wembley buoyed by their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, which secured the club's first-ever major trophy. Manager Oliver Glasner revealed that he is close to finalising his starting lineup for Sunday’s showdown.

Speaking to the media this week, Glasner hinted he will start a similar side to the one that delivered the FA Cup final victory. "I think that was pretty much the line-up from the FA Cup final against [Manchester] City," he was quoted as saying after their pre-season friendly. "The guys are in top shape; they obviously know the drills. That makes it easy."

Palace's confidence is high, especially after their impressive pre-season performance against Augsburg, where a strong side, featuring a brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta and a goal from the in-form Eberechi Eze - who scored the FA Cup final winner and has been linked with a move to Arsenal - sealed a 3-1 win.

"We actually had another friendly match planned, but now we have a Community Shield against Liverpool instead. But of course, we’re happy to take that. You could say it could be worse," Glasner added.

This Wembley curtain-raiser sets the stage for a fascinating contest: a confident, settled Palace side riding the high of a historic victory versus a new-look, injury-hampered Liverpool ready to begin their title defence under a new manager.

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