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Wembley is once again the venue for this Sunday's Community Shield as FA Cup holders Crystal Palace take on Premier League champions Liverpool in the annual curtain-raiser to the new season. Palace won their first major trophy with a surprise 1-0 win over Manchester City in May and they are back at the national stadium looking to add more silverware to the Selhurst Park trophy cabinet. Liverpool are more accustomed to this kind of occasion and they will be keen to add extra sharpness to their play ahead of next Friday's Premier League opener against Bournemouth. A lively contest looks likely on Sunday afternoon. BET £10 GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BET Reds to flex their muscles at Wembley Liverpool have invested heavily this summer in a bid to successfully defend their Premier League title, but the same can't be said for Palace who have signed only goalkeeper Walter Benitez and left-back Borna Sosa since the end of last term. The lack of incomings is proving frustrating for manager Oliver Glasner and his mood may not have improved by the time of the final whistle at Wembley. Glasner, so far, has managed to hold on to star man Eberechi Eze and that could help the Eagles' cause against the big-spending Reds. However, Liverpool's new-look side have appeared sharp in pre-season and they look the best bet to win a contest in which both teams score at Wembley. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez all look to have settled in quickly and should all feature in Sunday's contest. Only AC Milan have got the better of Arne Slot's side in their six matches over the summer, whereas things have been more of a mixed bag for the Eagles, who have won three, lost two and drawn one of their sextet of fixtures in the build-up to the serious stuff. Palace won't be shy on Sunday, though, and recent meetings with Liverpool show they can give the champions a game. The last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the final match of last season, while prior to that, the FA Cup winners lost just two of their previous five match-ups with the Merseysiders, drawing twice. Five of the past six meetings have featured no more than two goals, but a more open affair can be expected this weekend with little pressure regarding the outcome of the match. Both teams have scored in four of the past seven fixtures between these two, so that looks the way to go alongside a Liverpool victory. Things look easy for Eze Eze has been linked with a move away from Palace for most of the summer, but he remains at Selhurst Park for now and he can pick up where he left off last season. The Eagles' talisman bagged seven goals in his final seven matches last term, including the winner in Palace's FA Cup final triumph, and he could trouble a Liverpool side on Sunday, who have looked vulnerable at times in pre-season. The Reds have kept just one clean sheet in their six pre-season friendlies and shipped four goals to AC Milan in Yokohama, and two to Athletic Bilbao last time out on Monday. Virgil van Dijk should return from illness to help shore up the champions, but Eze is still likely to get chances and the fact that he is likely to take any penalties that come Palace's way also helps the bet. It's hard to say no to Gakpo Cody Gakpo is also a man in form and the Dutchman should also be backed to get on the scoresheet at Wembley. Gakpo bagged a brace in the 3-2 win over Athletic last week and he will be keen to prove his worth with new signings Ekitike and Wirtz on board. Both will be vying with Gakpo for a spot in Liverpool's attack and he is likely to rotate as a striker and a left forward with Ekitike on Sunday. Gakpo scored 21 goals for club and country last season and his keen eye for goal could pay off again this weekend. BET £10 GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BET Sign Up Offer: Get up to £50 in free bets - CLAIM HERE T&Cs: 18+ New Customers Only. Opt in, deposit and bet min £10+ (max £50) on any Football market (odds 1/1+) by 20: 00 on 15/08/2025. Get up to £50 in Free Bets (min £10) for set markets, which expire in 7 days. Click for T&Cs. Gamble Aware. org. Please gamble responsibly. Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change* 18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile or app & bet £10+ on any football market at 2. 00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 6x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply, see below. Gamble Aware. org | Please gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www. gamstop. co. uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talk SPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply.  gambleaware. org © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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