Crystal Palace open crucial season in Community Shield vs. Liverpool as uncertain European campaign awaits

Trophies may be forever, but the same cannot be said for the teams that win them, especially the ones that punch above their weight to collect winners' medals.

Those are the teams that usually get picked apart by sides that rank higher than them in the proverbial food chain, accentuating the gulf between the superclubs and the rest in any given league. During a summer in which Bayer Leverkusen's historic double-winning season truly became a thing of the past and Bournemouth parted ways with a batch of talented players for the simple feat of finishing ninth, FA Cup winners Crystal Palace were not poised to be spared. Eberechi Eze's name was tossed into the rumor mill, and the same was true for Marc Guehi and Jean-Philippe Mateta. As the Eagles prepare for Sunday's FA Community Shield against Liverpool, though, each of those players will be wearing the blue and red striped shirt they were wearing last season – and it seems unlikely any of them will be doing an outfit change anytime soon.

Instead, another season of firsts awaits Palace. The ownership debacle that, pending a legal ruling, has kicked them out of the UEFA Europa League and sent them to the UEFA Conference League aside, the Eagles will be playing in European competition for the first time this season, ushering a new batch of experiences for the Palace faithful and the players who have earned the reward. It also offers a brand new opportunity for a team that is just a few months removed from their first-ever trophy – a chance to prove themselves amongst some of Europe's top teams, and to collect the accomplishments and glory that comes with it. The fact that manager Oliver Glasner will once again be working with his core group, too, means Palace could really leave their mark in Europe this season and add some freshness to a series of competitions that tend to reward the usual suspects.

Charting an upward trajectory

Palace's players have taken well to Glasner's attack-minded style of play, one in which the team cedes possession to their opponents while prioritizing second balls. Eze remains Palace's standout player and put together a career-best campaign with 14 goals across all competitions last season, and he is not the only one – Mateta has perhaps been the greatest beneficiary of Glasner's tactics, scoring 30 goals since the Austrian arrived in February 2024. Coupled with the FA Cup win in May, Glasner is off to an incredibly strong start with Palace, but as he enters his second full season with the club, it is clear they are still an unfinished product.

Glasner's Palace scored just 51 league goals last season, a midtable output for a midtable team and about average for them in terms of their overall goal tallies per campaign since returning to the Premier League in the 2013-14 season. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, though – Palace were inside the Premier League's top 10 in a handful of attacking statistics last season, most notable among them expected goals. The Eagles ranked seventh for expected goals with 61.22 in the 2024-25 campaign and ranked fifth for shot on target percentage, demonstrating an efficiency that makes them one of England's most fascinating teams. It is a strong foundation that Glasner and company can build upon, especially so considering Eze and Mateta, among others, are still Selhurst Park regulars.

There are, though, questions to be asked about if Palace's current squad is strong enough to clinch only their second top half finish since returning to the Premier League for the 2013-14 season. The ownership uncertainty has likely impacted Palace's ability to make additions to the roster, the team only adding goalkeeper Walter Benitze and left wingback Borna Sosa this season and Glasner publicly admitting he was "promised more." Sosa will be counted on to add another dimension to Palace's attack, much as Daniel Munoz has on the right side, but the 27-year-old has not exactly made a name for himself despite experience in the Bundesliga and Serie A.

Palace's European hopes

Palace may have their imperfections, but as a competent Premier League team, a meaningful run in Europe is not out of the question. Just as it is for every other team in the competition, Palace will want a favorable league phase draw in order to mount a successful first European outing but the odds are already in their favor. Most of Europe's heavyweights earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League this season and Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League win and Chelsea's Conference League triumph last spring demonstrate that paths to the top are pretty clear for English sides.

Glasner's side, though, are the rare midtable Premier League team that will have a chance to measure themselves against other European foes. It is easy to make the argument that for England's richer and historically successful teams, deep runs in European competition is the expectation; that is less so the case for Palace, especially as new ownership comes with its inherent uncertainties. The Eagles will also have to contend with the balance of European competition and domestic play for the first time in the club's history, which can be grueling even if Glasner and some of his players may have experienced it elsewhere. That is especially true for those stuck in the Europa or Conference Leagues, stuck to the quick turnarounds of the Thursday-Sunday schedule.

Even with layers of uncertainty, though, Palace may no longer be an ordinary midtable Premier League side. The signs are clear that Glasner could be building England's next up-and-coming side, which will make potential matchups against their more notable European foes exciting litmus tests for the foundation the manager has built over the last year – and whether there is actually room for the group, as it currently exists, to grow.