Subscribe to World Briefings's newsletter

News Updates

Let's join our newsletter!

Do not worry we don't spam!

Sports

Brentford vs. Crystal Palace: Key Players, Transfers & Prediction for Premier League Opener

18 August, 2024 - 12:10PM
Brentford vs. Crystal Palace: Key Players, Transfers & Prediction for Premier League Opener
Credit: footballtoday.com

It's west versus south in the first London derby of the new Premier League season. Brentford and Crystal Palace go in search of early local bragging rights in this opening weekend EPL London derby clash at the Community Stadium. 

These two side had contrasting fortunes towards the end of last season, with the Bees having found themselves embroiled in a battle to beat relegation, while Crystal Palace went on a superb run into the top of half of the table following the appointment of new boss Oliver Glasner. 

While Brentford have so far managed to hold onto England striker Ivan Toney and much-coveted manager Thomas Frank, the summer has seen Palace lose key man Michael Olise, with major doubts as to whether the likes of Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze and French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta will still be at the club when the transfer window closes. 

Brentford host Crystal Palace on Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Community Stadium, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. BST local time, making it a 9 a.m. ET or 6 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada and a 11 p.m. AEST kickoff in Australia.

Key Players and Transfers

Despite much speculation that he would leave the Bees during the summer transfer window, striker Ivan Toney still remains a  Brentford player. 

How to Watch Brentford vs Crystal Palace Live

Sunday's match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and it can also be streamed via Sling TV and other, more expensive streaming TV services. 

Sling TV's Blue plan includes USA Network, making it a great option for those wanting to watch Premier League action. It's $40 per month and features over 40 channels, including other sports channels like ESPN and FS1. 

If you find yourself unable to view EPL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. 

With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. 

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. 

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

This match is exclusive to Sky Sports, showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game. 

Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 per month right now.

If you want to stream this EPL game live in Canada, you'll need to subscribe to Fubo Canada. The service has exclusive rights to every Premier League fixture once again this season.

Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the EPL this season, with exclusive streaming rights to every match. It costs CA$30 per month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.

Football fans Down Under can watch EPL matches live on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League fixture of the 2024/25 season live in Australia.

With exclusive rights to screen all EPL matches live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.

If you're already an Optus network customer you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 per month. If you're not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.

Prediction

With both teams having a mix of new and familiar faces, this match could go either way. Brentford are at home and will be looking to start the season strong, while Crystal Palace are always a tough opponent. It should be a close match, with both teams having the potential to score goals. The prediction is a draw, with both teams ending the match with a point each.

Tags:
Crystal Palace F.C. Brentford F.C. Premier League Brentford Crystal Palace Premier League London Derby Football
Samantha Wilson
Samantha Wilson

Sports Analyst

Analyzing sports events and strategies for success.