Man City vs Crystal Palace: Who’s going to reign in this weekend?

Manchester City returned to Premier League after the win over Belgrade, Champions League this week. Crystal Palace will be facing Manchester City in the Etihad stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City is position four in the Premier League, while Crystal Palace is number fifteen. Crystal Palace have had a bad time this season, and they are getting worried by how far away they will remain from the league summit.

Last weekend, Manchester City ended their four-game winless spell in the Premier League when they beat Luton Town 2-1. In the final Group G match played against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, they continued their unbeaten run in this season’s Champions League to maintain a perfect record.

Oscar Bobb a graduate of the academy scored his first ever senior goal for the team together with Micah Hamilton who is also a graduate. Kalvin Phillips, who is hardly ever starting, netted as well in the match his maiden goal of the season from a penalty as well.

What’s going on in Manchester City camp?

Guardiola ensured that Manchester City finished with six wins out of six in the Champions League, breaking the previous record held by another team. They now turn their gaze towards the premier league before they travel to Saudi Arabia next week where they will participate in the Club World Cup.

Even though Manchester City has had a hard time in Premier League recently it is still optimistic. They dropped into the table, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and a surprise contestant Aston Villa overtaking them. Four points away from the league leaders, Liverpool, after 16 games.

Nevertheless, Manchester City can recover, and they are confident because for the last 18 top-flight home games they have never lost. Notably, they have lost twice against Crystal Palace in the 16 league matches held at their home soil.

What’s happening with Crystal Palace?

Liverpool held a hard fight against Crystal Palace’s team last weekend when they defended their lead of one goal ahead at Selhurst Park with fifteen minutes remaining on the clock. Despite that, Jordan Ayew received a 75th-minute red card and it turned out to be very expensive for the Eagle.

The match went well but it ended in a loss for them as they conceded two goals in the last minute of the match. Less than a minute after the red card to Ayew, Mohamed Salah scored an equalizer, and Harvey Elliott netted the winner in the 91st minute. Crystal palace lost their eight leagues match this season.

Manager Roy Hodgson’s is on pressure as his team has bagged only five points from 45 over last two and half months. Nevertheless, Crystal Palace is seven points ahead of the safety zone, meaning one victory might improve it to the 11th place.

This Saturday, Manchester City plays Crystal Palace in what are not without challenges. During the festive period, they will play against teams like Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Brentford, and Arsenal. Although it would be tough for Palace to achieve wins in these contests, it has been prone to surprise upsets in the past.

Since Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016, Palace have won more premier league matches at the stadium than any other team except Manchester United. In the previous year, August, the Eagles lost 4-2 despite being two goals up in the second half, while the club earned a 2-0 victory in October 2021 during their last two visits to the stadium. Several injuries and possible starting lineups ahead of the forthcoming match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.

Manchester City:

• Jeremie Doku and Erling Haalad have also got injury and most likely to be in the Club World Cup coming week.
• De Bruyne is out of action due to a hamstring issue.
• It is anticipated that manager Pep Guardiola will reinstate numerous first-team regulars having made nine changes for the midweek fixture versus Red Star.

Possible Starting Lineup for Manchester City:

• Goalkeeper: Ederson
• Defenders: Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol
• Midfielders: Rodri, Mateo Kovacic
• Forwards: Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez

Crystal Palace:

• Jeffrey Lera, Odsonne Edouard were injured in the last game against Liverpool and will not participate.
• Eberechi Eze and Rob Holding suffer from ankle injury while Dean Henderson, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Cheick Doucoure miss the match due to different reasons.
• Jordan Ayew is sent off for a red card, and there are doubts about involvement of Tyrick Mitchell due to hip problem.

Possible Starting Lineup for Crystal Palace:

• Goalkeeper: Remi Matthews
• Defenders: Joe Ward, Joachim Andersen, Nathaniel Clyne, and Marc Guehi were the players.
• Midfielders: Richards, Ahamada, Hughes
• Forwards: Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Jeffrey Schlupp

On match day, these lineups may change by considering the availability and match fitness of players.