Manchester City are looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they visit 17th-placed Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
The reigning Premier League champions had lost six of their previous seven Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting line-up and inspired victory as Man City closed the gap on league leaders Liverpool to nine points.
Crystal Palace were securing their own significant win in midweek as they narrowly edged out Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Tuesday’s 1-0 win thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s second-half goal means the Eagles are now three points above the relegation zone heading into Saturday’s challenging game.
here it is 90 minutes guide to Saturday’s clash at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace vs Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Crystal Palace |
Man City |
|---|---|
|
Ipswich 0-1 Crystal Palace – 03/12/24 |
Man City 3-0 Nottingham Forest – 04/12/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle – 30/11/24 |
Liverpool 2-0 Man City – 12/01/24 |
|
Aston Villa 2-2 Crystal Palace – 23/11/24 |
Man City 3-3 Feyenoord – 26/11/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 0-2 Fulham – 09/11/24 |
Man City 0-4 Tottenham – 23/11/24 |
|
Wolves 2-2 Crystal Palace – 02/11/24 |
Brighton – Man City 2-1 – 24/11/09 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Not televised, BBC Radio 5 Live (audio only) |
|
united states |
royal peacock |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 5 Canada |
Oliver Glasner has plenty of options ahead of the visit of Man City but is without influential midfielder Adam Wharton. The youngster underwent groin surgery in November and although he is close to returning, he will not be available at the weekend.
Chadi Riad and Matheus Franca remain on the sidelines with long-term issues that have seen them miss months of action. Franco Umeh-Chibueze, 19, is also absent, although the left winger is yet to make a senior appearance for the Eagles despite being named on the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the campaign.
Glanser is unlikely to make many changes to the team that beat Ipswich, although Jefferson Lerma could come into midfield after replacing Cheick Doucoure at half-time against Ipswich.
Predicted Crystal Palace vs Man City line-up (5-2-3): Henderson; Muñoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Lerma; Sarr, Mateta, Eze.
Man City has been struggling with injuries this season and Pep Guardiola was dealt another blow in midweek. Nathan Ake withdrew late in the win over Forest with a hamstring problem and is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Phil Foden missed the clash through illness and could return to Selhurst Park, but Mateo Kovacic, Rodri, Oscar Bobb and John Stones will be unavailable for the trip to the capital.
Stefan Ortega has started the last two games for Man City, but Ederson could return to the XI after a break. Kyle Walker could also enter the lineup after an expected defensive change due to Ake’s injury.
De Bruyne made his first start since mid-September against Forest and was man of the match with a goal and an assist. Guardiola will be keen not to overload the Belgian, but he has no choice but to start him again on Saturday.
Man City’s expected line-up against Crystal Palace (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Guardiol; Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Doku; Haaland.
Guardiola hopes Man City have turned a corner after their emphatic win in midweek, but defensive vulnerabilities remain for the reigning champions. In front of a raucous Selhurst Park crowd, those weaknesses will be put to the test.
However, while palace have improved in recent weeks, they remain an unpredictable unit. They have picked up just six points from seven home games this season and face a potentially resurgent Man City side led by the magical De Bruyne.
This will be far from easy for a Man City side desperate to rediscover their form, but they should get the job done in London.
