Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Everton all continued their preparations for the 2026/27 Premier League season on Saturday.

We’ve rounded up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from all three friendlies. This includes the latest injury updates, tactical changes, team news, standout performers and Fantasy implications ahead of Gameweek 1.

READ MORE: FPL 2026/27 Pre-season Minutes, Goals + Assists Tracker

ARSENAL 3-0 MK DONS

• Goals: Nelson, Nwaneri, O’Neill
• Assists: Tzolis, Agustien

First-half XI: Arrizabalaga; Copley, Mosquera, Salmon, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri; Dowman, Nelson, Tzolis; Jesus.

Second-half XI: Arrizabalaga (Meslier 59′); Ogunnaike, Salmon (Julienne 59′), Clarke, Copley (Washington 59′); Ibrahim, Agustien; O’Neill, Harriman-Annous, Kabia; Mooney.

SCOUT NOTES

• Arsenal began their pre-season campaign with a 3-0 victory over MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
• William Saliba (£6.0m) missed out after returning from the World Cup with a back injury. Arsenal confirmed the defender will begin a rehabilitation programme and expect him to remain sidelined for an extended period.
• Several other key players also missed the match after featuring at the World Cup. They included Bukayo Saka (£9.5m), Declan Rice (£7.5m) and Gabriel Magalhães (£8.0m). However, Viktor Gyökeres (£7.5m), Piero Hincapié (£5.5m) and Kai Havertz (£7.5m) will travel with the squad for Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Spain despite also featuring at the tournament.
• Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.0m) started in goal before making way for Illan Meslier (£5.0m) after 59 minutes. Arsenal kept a clean sheet, but MK Dons still created several good opportunities.
• Callum Paterson forced Arrizabalaga into an excellent save from close range, while Rushian Hepburn-Murphy also tested the Spaniard from the edge of the box. Paterson then headed narrowly wide after the break before Meslier produced a smart late stop to preserve the clean sheet.
• New signing Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) made a bright start on his debut. He almost created a goal inside the opening minute before linking up well with Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) down the left. Tzolis then supplied the assist for Reiss Nelson (£5.5m), who fired Arsenal ahead after 10 minutes.
• Max Dowman (£5.5m) also caught the eye during the first half. The youngster produced an excellent cross-field pass to pick out Nelson, although the winger saw his effort blocked.
• Ethan Nwaneri (£5.5m) doubled Arsenal’s lead just before half-time. A well-worked corner found the youngster on the edge of the area, and he curled an excellent finish into the bottom corner.
• Gabriel Jesus (£6.0m) led the line during the opening 45 minutes before Mikel Arteta made eight changes at the break.
• The second-half side had a much younger feel, but Arsenal still looked dangerous. Demiane Agustien played an excellent ball over the top for Ceadach O’Neill, who raced through before rifling home Arsenal’s third goal.
• Arsenal almost added another late on. Ismeal Kabia slipped Evan Mooney through on goal, but the striker’s powerful effort crashed against the underside of the crossbar.
• Overall, Arsenal dominated possession and opened pre-season with a comfortable victory. Tzolis impressed on his debut, Nwaneri was in good form and the Gunners also began their preparations with a clean sheet.

BROMLEY 3-0 CRYSTAL PALACE

First-half XI: Benítez (GK), Canvot, Walker-Smith, Adaramola, Cardines, Devenny, Hughes, Benamar, Esse, França, Rak-Sakyi.

Second-half XI: Whitworth (GK), King, Jemide, Sosa, Imray, Ozoh, Doucouré, Mitchell, Drakes-Thomas, Nketiah, Johnson.

SCOUT NOTES

• Pierre Sage named separate XIs for each half once again as Crystal Palace suffered their first pre-season defeat, losing 3-0 to Bromley.
• The Eagles were again without several key players. Adam Wharton (£5.5m) missed out after sitting out Palace’s opening pre-season friendly with a reported knock, which may explain his absence once again. Crystal Palace also provided no update on the absence of new signing Óscar Mingueza (£4.5m), who featured against Swindon Town. Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) also missed out amid continued reports linking him with a move to Chelsea.
• Several other players remained absent following their involvement at the World Cup. They included Daichi Kamada (£5.0m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£6.5m), Daniel Muñoz (£5.5m) and Chris Richards (£5.0m).
• Sage stuck with a back three and wing-backs for the second successive friendly. Pre-season systems can change, but it could offer an early indication of the shape Palace plan to use in the Premier League.
• Several first-team players featured across the two XIs. Walter Benítez (£4.5m), Will Hughes (£4.5m), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (£5.0m), Romain Esse (£5.0m) and Matheus França (£5.0m) all started the first half. Joe Whitworth, Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m), Cheick Doucouré (£5.0m), Brennan Johnson (£6.0m), Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) and Borna Sosa (£4.5m) were involved after the break.
• Despite the result, Palace controlled large spells of the match. They registered 23 shots, created five big chances and repeatedly opened up the Bromley defence. However, poor finishing and some excellent goalkeeping kept the Eagles off the scoresheet.
• França continued his encouraging pre-season after last week’s hat-trick against Swindon Town. The Brazilian twice forced good saves from Shamal George, while another effort flew over after Rak-Sakyi brought down Hughes’ excellent chipped pass inside the box.
• Rak-Sakyi also looked threatening throughout the first half. He raced in behind the defence, but a last-ditch tackle denied him a shooting opportunity. Moments later, he created another good chance for França.
• Esse almost broke the deadlock after George denied França one-on-one, but the Bromley goalkeeper reacted quickly to keep out the follow-up. Justin Devenny (£5.0m) then looked certain to score before a defender cleared his effort off the line.
• Palace continued to create chances after the break. Johnson curled a free-kick narrowly wide before Mitchell’s dangerous low cross almost found Joel Drakes-Thomas (£4.5m), only for George to intervene.
• Nketiah also had several opportunities. He seized on a loose back-pass but couldn’t beat the goalkeeper, while Johnson’s rebound was also saved. Substitute goalkeeper Dillon Addai later denied Nketiah again before the striker teed up Drakes-Thomas, who steered a clear chance wide.
• The game turned on 62 minutes when Victor Adeboyejo raced onto a long clearance and lifted the ball over Whitworth to give Bromley the lead. Palace continued to push forward, but defensive mistakes proved costly. Doucouré conceded a penalty after losing possession inside his own box, allowing Adeboyejo to double the advantage from the spot.
• The Eagles came close to pulling one back when Nketiah’s deflected effort looped onto the crossbar, but David Ozoh couldn’t convert the rebound during the resulting goalmouth scramble.
• Bromley wrapped up the victory late on as Nicke Kabamba found space inside the six-yard box to head home.
• The 3-0 scoreline doesn’t tell the full story. Palace created enough chances to score several goals and regularly threatened the Bromley defence. Their finishing let them down, while costly defensive errors proved the difference.

EVERTON 0-0 BOLTON

Starting XI: Travers, Aznou, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Röhl, Armstrong, Iroegbunam, Alcaraz, McNeil, Barry

Second half: King, Mykolenko, Keane, Tarkowski (Finney 82), O’Brien (Olayiwola 82), Röhl (Foster 73), George, Iroegbunam (Graham), Dewsbury-Hall, McNeil (Campbell), Barry (Beto)

SCOUT NOTES

• Everton played out a goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers in their second pre-season friendly of the summer.
• The Toffees were without several players once again. James Garner (£6.0m) missed out after undergoing surgery on a groin issue picked up during pre-season. Everton expect the midfielder to return to first-team training around the opening week of the Premier League season if his rehabilitation continues as planned.
• New signing Tyler Dibling (£5.5m) also sat out with a minor knock, while fellow summer arrival Hayden Hackney (£5.5m) continued to build his fitness after recovering from an injury at the end of last season. Everton expect both players to feature against Stoke City in midweek.
• There was positive news at the back, though, as Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.5m) made his first appearance since suffering an injury in April. The centre-back returned to the starting XI and completed the opening 45 minutes before making way at half-time.
• David Moyes again deployed a back five. Branthwaite, James Tarkowski (£6.0m), Jake O’Brien (£5.0m), Adam Aznou (£4.0m) and Merlin Röhl (£5.0m) all started across the defensive line, suggesting the system remains under consideration ahead of the new campaign.
• Aznou also made his second consecutive start after arriving this summer. The youngster continues to receive opportunities in pre-season and could be one to monitor from an FPL perspective if he keeps his place heading into the Premier League season.
• Branthwaite’s return also pushed Michael Keane (£4.5m) to the bench. Keane featured heavily while Branthwaite recovered from injury, but his return raises fresh questions over Keane’s long-term security as an FPL option.
• Everton created the better openings before the break but lacked a finishing touch. Thierno Barry (£5.5m) thought he had opened the scoring after turning home Röhl’s low cross, only for the offside flag to cut short his celebrations. Barry also threatened on several other occasions during an encouraging first-half display.
• Röhl caught the eye throughout the opening period. The wing-back regularly drove Everton forward and created several dangerous moments. His low cross also led to Barry’s disallowed goal.
• At the other end, Mark Travers (£5.0m) had little to do but still produced an excellent save to tip Rodrigues’ long-range effort over the crossbar. Aznou also defended well to force Stephenson into firing another chance wide.
• Everton made five changes at the interval, introducing Tom King (£4.4m), Keane, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m), Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.5m) and Tyrique George (£5.5m).
• The visitors continued to create chances after the restart. Mykolenko clipped an excellent pass over the Bolton defence for Beto (£5.5m), but the striker shifted onto his right foot before dragging his effort wide.
• Röhl also forced Luke Bonham into a strong save with a powerful strike across goal. Malik Olayiwola tested the Bolton goalkeeper again late on with a fierce effort from outside the box.
• Moyes also handed valuable minutes to several academy players during the closing stages. Harvey Foster, Braiden Graham, Olayiwola, George Finney and Eli Campbell all came off the bench as Everton continued to spread minutes across the squad.
• Everton pushed for a late winner, but Bolton held firm to secure a goalless draw.
• The result won’t concern Moyes too much. Branthwaite’s successful return was a major positive. Everton have also kept back-to-back clean sheets to begin pre-season. That defensive record, combined with a favourable run of opening Premier League fixtures, could increase interest in Everton’s defenders from an FPL perspective over the coming weeks. Everton still need to become more clinical in the final third. However, their defence has made an encouraging start to pre-season.