Crystal Palace vs Liverpool: Chasing 17th Community Shield Title

JAKARTA - English Premier League champions Liverpool are chasing their 17th Community Shield title when they face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 10, 2025, WIB.

Liverpool came to Wembley with strong confidence. They are Premier League champions and ended their pre-season tour with a satisfying result.

Not only is the result a key factor, but the team's performance has shown improvement with the addition of new players. This was particularly true in their two friendly matches against Athletic Bilbao, where they won 4-1 and 3-2.

Yes, Liverpool have been quite active in the player hunt this season. As a result, the Reds have been able to bring in Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was already a signing, having only joined at the start of the season.

Manager Arne Slot is not worried about goalkeeper Alisson's doubts for the Community Shield. Mamardashvili has been trusted to play in goal against Palace.

Liverpool did lose Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident. Meanwhile, winger Luis Diaz has moved to Bayern Munich.

Finally, Darwin Nunez will leave Anfield and move to the Middle East to play for Al Hilal. However, Nunez could still play in the curtain-raiser, the Premier League season opener.

With a strong squad and preparedness for the curtain-raiser, Liverpool are favored over Palace.

Furthermore, the head-to-head record between the two teams favors Liverpool. Of the last 16 matches, Liverpool has won 12 and lost only twice.

Slot hopes to start the season with a win and lift the Community Shield trophy for the 17th time in 25 appearances. However, he admits that Palace are certainly not easy opponents, even though they finished 12th last season.

"It's nice to start the season by winning a trophy. We have a chance at the start of the season," said Slot.

"However, we have to admit we're facing Crystal Palace, who are tough opponents. It's difficult to beat them in a single match. They have fast counterattacks and are good at set-pieces. We also have to be wary of their long balls because they have (Palace striker Jean-Philippe) Mateta and the individual qualities of the other forwards," he said.

The match won't be easy and will be tight, so Slot predicts there won't be many goals. "Even one goal is very valuable," added the former Feyenoord coach.

Meanwhile, Palace are not favored in this match. However, Oliver Glasner's team is optimistic about pulling off another upset, like when they won the FA Cup by defeating top-tier Manchester City. That success ended Palace's 120-year trophy drought.

The FA Cup success means Palace will face Liverpool in the Community Shield. Glasner acknowledged that the opposing team is clearly the favorite.

"Liverpool are clearly a top team. But this is better than playing a friendly. This gives us the opportunity to compete with the champions and try to win a trophy. We will show our best," said Glasner.

Palace themselves haven't made many signings for the new season. They only brought in Borna Sosa and Walter Benitez. However, in this match, Glasner relied more on established players, left-back Tyrick Mitchell and goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Predicted Lineups

Crystal Palace: Henderson-Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze

Liverpool: Mamardashvili-Frimpong, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike