Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season
Crystal Palace finished 15th but did win the Conference League
Recommended bet: Over 2.5 Everton Keeper Saves, Under 2.5 Goals, T Barry Over 0.5 Shots on Target - Bet Builder at 5/1 with LiveScore Bet
Optimism is not exactly running high as Everton and Crystal Palace prepare to meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees finished last season without a win in seven having managed only six league wins at their new stadium all season long.
Palace, meanwhile, have bid farewell to FA Cup and Conference League-winning manager Oliver Glasner, with new man Pierre Sage insisting his new side are a long way from ready for action.
Team News
Everton boss David Moyes may have to field a midfield pair of Harrison Armstrong and newcomer Hayden Hackney with Christian Norgaard, James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam all injured.
Moyes has to address the usual issue of James Tarkowski or Jake O'Brien in central defence and Thierno Barry or Beto up front.
Palace boss Sage has to decide between two of Chris Richards, Chadi Riad or Takehiro Tomiyasu alongside Jaydee Canvot in his back three.
Yeremy Pino's lack of fitness could open the door for Dwight McNeil against the club he has just left, while Matheus Franca's four-goal pre-season has strengthened his claims if Sage decides Jean-Philippe Mateta is not match-fit.
The Stats
Palace won more points away (24) than the Toffees did at home (23) last season, although they were beaten 2-1 at Everton in October.
Everton have lost their last four Premier League season-openers, beaten to nil on each occasion.
Jorgen Strand Larsen conceded 21 fouls in 14 appearances for Palace last season. Only six players in the top flight committed more fouls than the Norwegian.
Everton's Jordan Pickford (100) and Palace's Dean Henderson (106) were two of seven top-flight keepers to have made 100 or more saves last term. Pickford has reached three figures in his last five seasons.
Crystal Palace are without a clean sheet in their last 10 competitive away games.
Everton have lost just one of the last 23 Premier League meetings with Palace, winning eight of the previous 10 on home soil.
The latest Everton vs Crystal Palace odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Everton finished last season poorly having been unimpressive for great swathes of the campaign at their swanky new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Palace were unimpressive in the Premier League, but they did win the UEFA Conference League, although new boss Pierre Sage seems adamant that his team is not yet set for the season.
All in all, these are hardly encouraging signs for a glorious opening game between two teams desperate to be in the top half this time around having wound up last season firmly in the bottom half.
Everton are arguably in better nick in terms of preparation, though they need to improve markedly on last season's home form and they are missing some key midfielders.
They also still lack a goalscorer and the same may be true of Palace if Jean-Philippe Mateta, yet to play since the World Cup, is deemed unready. At least Mateus Franca and Eddie Nketiah have had decent closed seasons if they are summoned by the new Eagles' chief.
Opening games are not always easy to read so a Bet Builder might offer a solution.
Kick it off with Jordan Pickford making over 2.5 saves. He made six in the 2-2 draw at Palace in May and averaged 2.6 for the season.
Go under 2.5 goals given the lack of punch in both attacks. Everton only scored 47 league goals last term, Palace just 41.
And finally, Thierno Barry to have over 0.5 shots on target. He scored eight last season from 14 efforts on target and 38 shots overall. Three goals in pre-season suggest he can be better for a good summer.
Score Prediction: Everton 1 Crystal Palace 0
