The new English football season is already upon us. Last weekend saw the start of lower league matches, along with preliminary rounds of the FA Cup and this Sunday it’s the turn of the 2025 Community Shield. The Premier League champions take on the FA Cup winners, so it’s Crystal Palace against Liverpool in this 3pm kick off.
It is predicted to be a comfortable afternoon for Arne Slot’s Reds, but Crystal Palace are used to upsetting the odds and this may not be a foregone conclusion. Read on for our CPFC vs LFC preview with betting tips.
Liverpool go into the game as hot favourites and you can back the EPL winners at best industry odds of 8/13. The draw in 90 minutes is the next available option at a top price of 10/3, while victory for Crystal Palace is out at a best of 9/2.
Liverpool’s second Premier League title seemed assured for much of last season and they eventually finished ten points behind the chasing pack. Crystal Palace were down in 12th, a full 31 points behind Sunday’s opponents, but this is all about knockout football, where the Eagles excelled.
CPFC beat the mighty Manchester City in May’s FA Cup Final to cap a fine run and claim their first ever major trophy. Across the summer, manager Oliver Glasner has largely been concerned about keeping his top players. Supporters will be happy to see Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze remain in the squad for Sunday.
After a quiet summer transfer window in his first season as Liverpool boss, Arne Slot has strengthened his strike force. Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike crossed to Anfield and there’s still room for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak if a deal can be struck.
It’s clear that the Reds will be formidable opponents once again, but last season’s successful FA Cup run shows that we can’t write Palace off on Sunday.
If you are expecting a win for the favourites with the GB’s leading online bookies and aren’t interested in those 8/13 odds, there should be some value in the side markets here. In the first goalscorer betting, despite having some serious competition from new teammates, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah remains as the favourite to find the net first at 4/1.
New signing Hugo Ekitike is next at 5/1. The French Under 21 international scored 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga games for Eintracht Frankfurt last season. Liverpool players continue to dominate this market with Florian Wirtz at 11/2, followed by Federico Chiesa at 7/1 and Cody Gakpo at 15/2.
The first option for Crystal Palace backers is Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is on offer at a best of 9/1 for the first goal. The striker scored 17 goals for the Eagles across all competitions last season. Palace followers will also want to consider Eberechi Eze, whose important scoring contributions included the only goal in May’s Cup Final. Eze is quoted here at 13/1.
Moving away from player betting and Both Teams to Score is available for Sunday’s fixture at a best of 5/6, but if you want to take the ‘no’ option on BTTS, this can be found at Even Money.
Total Combined Goals is our next market, and a stake Above the 2.5 line will be met by odds of 8/11 in most places. Moving that up to Over 3.5 goals delivers at 7/4, but if you’re expecting a quiet 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Under 2.5 goals could be the way to go at 11/10.
This preview will sign off with some Correct Score suggestions. With the match markets pointing to a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League champions, there could be some interest in a final scoreline of Liverpool 3 Crystal Palace 1 at 12/1. A 2-1 win for Palace is listed at 16/1, and you can find those same 16/1 odds next to the 2-2 draw.
CPFC vs LFC Community Shield Preview & Betting Tips Verdict
It may seem like an obvious call: Liverpool were runaway winners of the Premier League, and the club has spent big in the offseason to strengthen even further. We know, however, that Palace can be tough to beat and it is also worth noting the most recent head-to-head results between these two teams. Liverpool won 1-0 at Selhurst Park last October but the Reds were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield in May.
Going back to the previous campaign, CPFC came back from Liverpool with a 1-0 win in April 2024. Based on those results, and the Eagles’ record in knockout competitions, we feel that Liverpool may need more than 90 minutes to break down their opponents.
The draw is a tempting bet but there are plenty of alternatives. In the goalscorer betting, Cody Gakpo was profitable for us in the anytime markets last season and he could be a candidate again. The concern is, that with the arrival of Wirtz and Ekitike, he may not get onto the Wembley pitch on Sunday. Over in the Palace camp, Eberechi Eze is a tempting pick in the anytime betting.
Instead, this CPFC vs LFC preview will settle for a bet on Over 3.5 goals in 90 minutes as the only one of our betting tips. We may not know the likely starting XIs, but there are some productive attackers on both sides, and we feel this will be a high scorer.
Matt Harris is a football & golf writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 