The Premier League returns, and Everton get the season started at home against the Eagles. Hill Dickinson Stadium was by no means a fortress during its opening campaign, but one of the victories recorded at the new dockside home of the Toffees was against Crystal Palace.
The two sides were involved in a swap deal this summer which saw Brennan Johnson move to Everton and Dwight McNeil head in the opposite direction, so it will be interesting to see how both players fare this weekend.
Everton boast an excellent recent record against the Londoners, going unbeaten in the pair's last 11 encounters across all competitions. The Toffees have picked up four wins from their last five home games in the Premier League against Crystal Palace, and seven of the Merseysiders' last eight wins against the Eagles have been by a single-goal margin.
Each of the last five head-to-heads between these two clubs has ended with both teams scoring, while each of Everton's final four pre-season friendlies also produced goals at both ends of the pitch, and the same goes for two of Palace's last three warm-up games.
On paper, there isn't much separating these two clubs, but with the home crowd behind them and history in their favour, we're backing Everton to do just enough to secure all three points on Saturday.
Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace
