Crystal Palace

A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

The pair have both given their prediction for Brentford v Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

England striker Ivan Toney is still at Brentford and who knows how that will pan out.

They will be fine if Toney does leave, because they carried a threat for so long without him last season anyway, and I like the balance in their team.

Crystal Palace ended last season really well under Oliver Glasner but I'm not sure how they will shape up this time.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has been at the Olympics, Michael Olise has left, while Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen could be sold as well - so we could be seeing a very different Palace.

We will have to wait to see how things settle down for both sides but, in the meantime, this is another game with draw written all over it.

Liam's prediction: 2-2

I think both teams will be pretty attacking so I can see a few goals.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Researcher

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Brentford (14:00 BST kick-off).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the squad's fitness: "All players are fit, all players are available – just [Matheus] Franca [is not]. After his injury, he trained with us, and unfortunately he fractured his rib again so he will be out for the next weeks."

• On Marc Guehi, who is linked with a move to Newcastle United: "Marc trained today and we talked together. I've had no other information. We plan with Marc. He's our player and our captain, I can't tell you anything else."

• On summer signing Daichi Kamada: "We were looking for which players could help us and Daichi is a player who is creative and who can score goals, like he showed against Nantes. He knows how we want to play, so it made it a little bit easier to integrate him in the way of playing. From the first day, he understood it, because we worked together for two years."

• Glasner said Adam Wharton's summer break was "too short", adding: “He's a great guy. He's a great character. He's working hard in training. He's one of the guys who is not on his highest fitness level but now he's up again, and he's a fantastic player. He shows it every day in training."

• On Sunday's opponents: "I know it's a very good, well organised team. Thomas Frank is a great manager. They have clear structure in the game, very variable in building up. They switch from a back four to a back three with five players high, playing very quick in behind and a lot of runs. This is what we all know about Brentford. But again, we feel ready there to extend the streak [six matches unbeaten against the Bees in the Premier League]."

• Glasner says he is "very happy" with the state of his squad: "It was a tricky pre-season because we had many players with their national teams This week was the first week the squad was complete so we have the players on different fitness levels. But we have a great mood on the pitch, we have a great mood in the dressing room and I'm very confident we are ready for the start."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Our football news reporter Alex Howell believes Crystal Palace need to be "shrewd" in their dealings this transfer window if they are to continue to excel under Oliver Glasner. So we asked you to have your say on what the Eagles need to do.

Here are some of your comments:

Gareth: Potentially our most exciting season since the early 90s under Sir Stevie Coppell. Team appear to have really bought into Glasner's vision and style of play. Need to sort out Guehi situation, while keeping Eze and Wharton is a must. Would like one more attacking player. Europe is a real possibility this season.

Kester: The new leadership feels stable. Glasner has the team playing attractive football. All areas seem to be improving. To kick on we will need to avoid injuries to some key players - mainly Eze. If we do that, then top 10 is possible. As always, survival is the main priority. If we make Europe, my concern - will this impact our Premier League survival?

Gary: Palace can finish in the top eight even without Olise. One player doesn't make a team. I'm sure Glasner can and will find a way to compensate for the loss of Olise. Top eight here we come. We'll be glad all over if that happens.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Crystal Palace won six and drew one of their final seven games of the 2023-24 season to secure a top-half finish in the Premier League.

Their transformation under new boss Oliver Glasner - illustrated by the statistics in the table above - has increased optimism of another strong campaign this time around.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The transfer window has been a busy time at Crystal Palace, with Michael Olise leaving for Bayern Munich and interest in key players Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.

But that is not the only potential sale that is being worked on behind the scenes.

John Textor owns about 45% of the Eagles but has made it clear that he wants to sell his stake to pursue a deal to buy another club, with Everton one of the options.

Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish is the man in charge of running the club and said that the situation is amicable.

"John has a multi-club setup and because he has a minority position in Crystal Palace it makes it more difficult for him to do the things that he wants to do," Parish said.

"Personally, I think John is making a good a job as anyone in that multi-club situation, he has great assets.

"He wants a club that plugs into that where he controls everything that happens. We don't think that is right for us as a club right now.

"We do collaborate with his clubs where we can. He wants to go and do something else, we're helping him do that.

"John has supported the club financially as we all have. He has put his part in and we have put our part in and we're all aligned on the strategy.

"We're very happy to help John fulfil his ambitions.

"I was chatting to him on email while he was flying to Brazil last night. We will try to find the right people to come in his place.

"Josh, David and I between us have 55% with some friends. It's a very stable situation for the club and very amicable. We will work to wish John well and do our best to get him in the position we want him to be in."

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford are winless in all six of their Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (drawn five, lost one).

It is both the joint-most the Bees have faced a side in the competition without ever winning (also six v Newcastle) and the joint-most the Eagles have faced a side without ever losing (also six v QPR).

Image source, Getty Images

The Telegraph's Luke Edwards says his "gut feeling" tells him a price for Marc Guehi will be met so that the defender can sign for Newcastle.

Crystal Palace have rejected three offers from the Magpies, with the latest bid understood to be in the region of £60m.

"It has legs," said Edwards on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "Crystal Palace's chairman Steve Parish gave a very interesting interview which basically said he is available to buy but you will have to pay top money for him.

"Newcastle have not been scared off by that. Negotiations are continuing and everybody on both sides will want it to be less public now.

"Newcastle have tried to go low ball and get a bit of a bargain because they know he wants to come, so I think it will go quiet in the meantime.

"My gut feeling is that it will get done and it is a brilliant signing for them if it is."

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Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

This season, like most for Crystal Palace, seems like it could be a pivotal one for them as they look to take the next step from an established low-to-mid-table team to one that could potentially qualify for Europe.

I have covered Crystal Palace in one way or another for the majority of the time they have been in the Premier League.

It is safe to say that the football that Oliver Glasner has got them playing is the best I have seen in that time.

The big question this season is whether the team are able to kick on from how they finished the last campaign.

They have lost key player Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and Marc Guehi is the subject of interest from Newcastle.

If Palace are to continue to show the progress of the last 10 games of last season and match the ambition of manager Glasner, they will need to hold on to the rest of the important players they have and continue to be shrewd in the transfer market.

Will you kick on, Palace fans? Tell us here, external

It's that time of the year again - the annual act of foolishness in which I try to predict the outcome of the 2024-25 season for all 20 Premier League clubs.

Crystal Palace - 10th

Crystal Palace did not want last season to end, playing thrilling, free-scoring football under new manager Oliver Glasner, inspired by Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise, with new young star Adam Wharton pulling the strings.

Olise has left for Bayern Munich and Palace must hope to keep the other three, although Marc Guehi may be on his way to Newcastle.

If they do stay, then Glasner's all-out attacking approach has every chance of making it another entertaining, enjoyable season at Selhurst Park.

Read all of Phil's predictions here

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup has been made.

Here is the list of the ties - which are split into southern and northern sections - involving Premier League clubs:

South

• AFC Wimbledon v Ipswich Town

• Brighton & Hove Albion v Crawley Town

• Birmingham City v Fulham

• Cardiff City v Southampton

• Colchester United v Brentford

• Crystal Palace v Norwich City

• West Ham United v Bournemouth

North

• Everton v Doncaster Rovers

• Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United

• Leicester City v Tranmere Rovers

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley

See the full draw

The games will take place in w/c 26 August.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace co-owner Steve Parish believes they have a "good chance" of securing European football this season.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Parish discussed how they can improve on last season's 10th-place finish: "While I have been in this division, we have seen West Ham get into Europe regularly and Burnley have been into Europe.

"We think we have every bit as good a chance - if we can get a run together.

"It is all about getting a good start. If we can get a good start, stay clear of injuries and keep it going - then why not? We want to break that glass ceiling of 10th place. That's the aim.

"If we can get this club into Europe, it would be special for the fans and that is what we would love to do."

This summer has seen the loss of key player Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and continued speculation around the futures of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.

Parish was honest about the impact on the club.

"It is a double-edged sword," he said. "On one hand, you want a season where they are all together, but equally everyone is in a trading deficit in the Premier League.

"If you want consistency, you have to first of all attract the right talent and show them the pathway. Players like Michael going to Bayern Munich - one of the top clubs in the world - shows players coming to Crystal Palace that they can go and play at the highest level.

"What do we hope? That one day we are the Champions League club everybody wants to come to or the Europa League club everybody wants to come to. Up until then, we have to be realistic.

"We have to work with the players and the sporting department. We have to make sure we have a good squad and are making smart decisions about recruitment - both buying and selling."

Image source, Getty Images

Joachim Andersen is confident Crystal Palace can take the momentum from a strong end to last season into the new campaign.

Palace's form was exceptional following the appointment of Oliver Glasner as manager in February. The Eagles eventually finished 10th, equalling their highest league finish in the Premier League era.

Asked if qualification for Europe was a possibility this term, the Denmark international told BBC Sport: "I hope we can go to Europe but it's difficult to say - a lot of things can happen during the season.

"We finished really strong last year but we need to continue that. It's not coming to us automatically - we need to fight and work hard for it. But of course it gives us some confidence and belief that we can do it, so we need to take that into the new season."

Palace sold winger Michael Olise to Bayern Munich earlier this summer, while there have been bids for other players - including Marc Guehi and Andersen himself.

"We lost a massive player. I wish Michael all the best because he's a fantastic player and a fantastic guy, but he is one player," said Andersen.

"We've signed some decent players and hopefully they can fill the spot. We need to work it out as a team. We've had some good pre-season games and I'm convinced we can do well."

Image source, Getty Images

Joachim Andersen hopes Marc Guehi, his regular centre-back partner at Crystal Palace, will remain at Selhurst Park beyond this summer.

Newcastle have made a series of offers for Guehi, who was one of England's stars as they reached the final of Euro 2024.

"I'm really happy for Marc," Denmark centre-back Andersen told BBC Sport. "He is a fantastic guy and a good friend of mine. I've had three good years with him as my partner in the defence. I'm happy when he does well but it was really fun to play against him at the Euros [in the group stage].

"I don't know what's going to happen with him - we hope he's staying, but let's see. In football, you never know."

Andersen has also been the subject of bids from a fellow Premier League club, in his case Fulham.

Asked about those bids, Andersen said: "I have nothing to say about it really. I'm a Crystal Palace player and that's all I'm focusing on."

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Any club wanting to sign Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi must pay "superstar money", says the club's co-owner and chairman Steve Parish.

Newcastle United have made three offers for Guehi, with the latest bid understood to be in the region of £60m.

Guehi was one of the standout performers for England at Euro 2024, having played six of the seven games in the competition and only missing the quarter-final through suspension.

The 24-year-old has been tracked by clubs across Europe since excelling for the Eagles after signing in 2021, and has under two years left on his current contract.

"We would like to keep hold of him. There is a price and a situation where we might consider it," Parish told BBC Sport. "Somebody [in another interview] said he is a superstar, so somebody has got to pay superstar money.

"Realistically, he is homegrown, 24 years old and a sensational talent - so somebody has to make it difficult for us. At the moment, it isn't.

"He will still be at Crystal Palace at the moment, but it's not impossible [that he goes].

"He is certainly not making anybody's life difficult, his agents are decent people.

"It is a very good situation. Whether he is here or not will make no difference as to how he performs."

Read the full story here

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport football statistician

Although their stats from last season might not look too remarkable overall, the impact manager Oliver Glasner had on Crystal Palace after being appointed in February was incredible.

The Eagles went from ranking as a bottom-half side under his predecessor Roy Hodgson to a top-six one under the Austrian in all of the following stats: goals scored, goals conceded, possession won in the final third, goal difference, expected goal difference…and of course, points.

While the amount of shots and possession the team had was still worthy of the bottom half and it has only been 13 games, fans have every reason to be excited about how high the Eagles can possibly soar under Glasner this campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday at the conclusion of the first-round tie between Leeds United and Middlesbrough.

Thirteen Premier League clubs will enter in the second round, as will Luton Town and Burnley, who were relegated from the top flight in 18th and 19th positions last season.

The draw for round two will be regionalised into northern and southern sections.

The seven Premier League clubs playing in European competitions in 2024-25, including Carabao Cup holders Liverpool, will come in at the third-round stage.

The key dates for the competition are as follows:

• Second round - w/c 26 August

• Third round - w/c 16 and w/c 23 September

• Fourth round - w/c 28 October

• Quarter-finals - w/c 16 December

• Semi-finals - w/c 6 January (first leg) and w/c 3 February

• Final - 16 March

Follow Wednesday's action and then the full draw here from 19:30 BST

Leicester City have made a £4m offer for 32-year-old Crystal Palace and Ghana forward Jordan Ayew. (Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column