UEFA Conference League winners Crystal Palace are next up in our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2026/27 team previews.
Here, we discuss their best FPL picks for the upcoming campaign, predict the line-up for Gameweek 1, review pre-season, detail their set-piece takers, assess the summer transfer activity and more.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
THE MANAGER
Pierre Sage arrives at Selhurst Park with a growing reputation in football, having previously secured European qualification at Lyon, who were rock bottom when he took over.
He recently scooped Ligue 1’s Manager of the Year award, too. He led RC Lens to an impressive second-place finish and the club’s first-ever Coupe de France trophy in 2025/26.
The underlying numbers in the league were equally impressive: Lens ranked second for expected goals (xG), only behind Paris Saint-Germain, and fourth for expected goals conceded (xGC).
Given that success, plus the fact he achieved it with a 3-4-2-1 formation that resembles Oliver Glasner’s set-up, Sage feels like a decent fit for Palace.
DEFENSIVELY SOUND
With their compact 5-2-3 out-of-possession shape, Palace kept 12 clean sheets last season, the third-most of any team, behind only Arsenal and Manchester City:
They ranked seventh for xGC, too.
Crucially, it should provide Sage with a solid foundation from which to build, considering the similarities between his tactics and those of Glasner.
REASONS TO BE FEARFUL
LACK OF EFFICIENCY IN FRONT OF GOAL
A key priority for Palace this season is to sharpen up their finishing.
In 2025/26, the Eagles often struggled to break teams down. They scored only 41 goals overall, which was fewer than all other teams except for Championship-bound Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
They actually ended the campaign ranked eighth for expected goals (xG), with 58.18.
However, they underperformed that number by just over 17 goals (see below), highlighting a pressing need for greater ruthlessness and composure in the box.
EUROPE A DISTRACTION AGAIN
Palace really need to bolster their squad, as they prepare to compete in the UEFA Europa League for the first time. Currently, they have a settled core of players but absolutely need more depth if they want to compete on multiple fronts.
Last season, Palace’s small squad started to suffer from mid-December, when they endured a 12-match winless run.
Defenders Oscar Mingueza (£4.5m), Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.5m) and Anan Khalaili (£5.0m), plus Dwight McNeil (£5.5m) and Evann Guessand (£5.5m), have already arrived at Selhurst Park, but other new faces will need to come in before the transfer window closes.
Holding onto key players such as Adam Wharton (£5.5m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£6.5m) is equally important, too, having already lost Maxence Lacroix (£6.0m) to Chelsea.
CRYSTAL PALACE: SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY
Key Transfers In:
| DEF | Oscar Mingueza | Celta Vigo (free) |
| DEF | Takehiro Tomiyasu | Free |
| MID | Dwight McNeil | Everton (swap) |
| MID | Evann Guessand | Aston Villa (loan) |
| DEF | Anan Khalaili | Union Saint-Gilloise (£21m) |
Key Transfers Out:
| DEF | Maxence Lacroix | Chelsea (£52m) |
| MID | Brennan Johnson | Everton (swap) |
| DEF | Nathaniel Clyne | Released |
Guessand was on loan last year and rejoins the Eagles.
He’ll likely be a back-up ’10’ along with McNeil, who started in the final friendly – although likely only because Yeremy Pino (£5.5m) wasn’t ready.
Three right-sided defenders have arrived in the shape of Mingueza, Tomiyasu and Khalaili. The latter looks set to be the Daniel Munoz (£5.5m) replacement; the Colombian seems to be on the way out.
Mingueza is versatile enough to cover on both flanks as well as at centre-half, while Tomiyasu is likely well down the pecking order – think the ‘new Nathaniel Clyne’ – as a right-sided centre-back.
CRYSTAL PALACE: PRE-SEASON FPL REPORTS
| Jul 18 | Crystal Palace 5-1 Swindon Town (h) | Nketiah, Nketiah (Esse assist), Franca (Canvot assist), Franca pen (Drake-Thomas assist), Franca |
| Jul 25 | Bromley 3-0 Crystal Palace (a) |
| Jul 28 | Crystal Palace 0-3 Lens (n) |
| Jul 28 | Crystal Palace 0-0 Famalicao (n) |
| Jul 31 | Crystal Palace 3-1 Al-Ula (n) | Devenny (Cardines assist), Nketiah (Cardines assist), Canvot (Jemide assist) |
| Aug 7 | Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace (n) | Sarr (Richards assist), Franca (Mingueza assist) |
| Aug 15 | Freiburg 3-0 Crystal Palace (a) |
Form Players: Franca (4 goals), Nketiah (3 goals), Cardines (2 assists), Canvot (1 goal, 1 assist)
OPENING FIXTURES
If you’re looking long term, Palace sit top of our Fixture Ticker over the first dozen Gameweeks. They play all three newly promoted clubs in that time. Only two of those 12 matches are against teams that finished in the top seven of the Premier League in 2025/26.
Those on a Gameweek 4 Wildcard could start the season without the Eagles’ assets, instead jumping on just in time for the visit of Ipswich Town.
PENALTY + SET-PIECE TAKERS
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