Manchester City vs Crystal Palace - prediction, team news, lineups

Aware that points dropped volition each but extremity their Premier League rubric hopes, Manchester City invited Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium for a hugely important top-flight contention connected Wednesday night.

The Citizens comfortably collected maximum points against the Eagles successful the reverse fixture astatine Selhurst Park successful December, winning 3-0 courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland (2) and Phil Foden.

Match preview

Five days aft an eventful yet damaging 3-3 draw astatine Everton, Man City bounced backmost with a much-needed 3-0 location win implicit Brentford connected Saturday, courtesy of second-half strikes from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.

However, Pep Guardiola’s post-match “Come connected you Irons” rally outcry yet fell connected deaf ears arsenic leaders Arsenal secured a slender 1-0 victory implicit West Ham United connected Sunday, preserved lone by a controversial VAR intervention that denied the Hammers a last-gasp equaliser.

The effect leaves Man City 5 points adrift of Arsenal astatine the summit, though that spread tin beryllium chopped to conscionable 2 points with a triumph implicit Palace connected Wednesday. The tiny substance of the FA Cup last follows this weekend, earlier City decorativeness their run with league fixtures against high-flying Bournemouth and Europa League finalists Aston Villa.

Guardiola’s men are alert that nonaccomplishment to bushed the Eagles would manus Arsenal the accidental to wrapper up the rubric successful their last location crippled of the play against relegated Burnley adjacent Monday. However, City volition instrumentality comfortableness from their singular 36-game unbeaten location grounds connected a Wednesday successful the Premier League, including 30 victories since May 2010 (D6).

Not since the extremity of August past twelvemonth person the Citizens mislaid a top-flight crippled astatine the Etihad (W13 D3), scoring 2+ goals successful 14 of their past 16 location matches, portion they person lone tasted decision successful 1 of their past 9 encounters with Crystal Palace successful each competitions (W5 D3) – a 1-0 decision successful the 2025 FA Cup last astatine Wembley.

Just a mates of days aft etching their names into the past books and securing their spot successful the Conference League final, Crystal Palace came from down doubly to rescue a constituent successful a 2-2 Premier League gully with Everton astatine Selhurst Park connected Sunday.

Soon-to-be-departing caput manager Oliver Glasner hailed the “huge performance” from his Palace side, who are present mathematically harmless from relegation pursuing West Ham’s aforementioned defeat. The Eagles beryllium 14th successful the array and 8 points wide of the bottommost three, portion they are besides 9 points adrift of the apical 7 with lone 3 matches near to play.

With 44 points connected the board, Palace are guaranteed to extremity the run with less points than past play (53), but determination is inactive anticipation that they tin amended their erstwhile 12th-placed decorativeness and ascent into the apical fractional of the table, with conscionable 5 points separating them from ninth spot.

Before facing Brentford distant and Arsenal astatine location successful their last 2 league fixtures, Palace question to the Etihad wherever they person proved amazingly resilient successful caller years, scoring astatine slightest 2 goals successful six of their past 7 visits and picking up 8 points successful the process (W2 D2 L3).

Palace person besides collected somewhat much Premier League points connected the roadworthy (23) than astatine location (21) this season, though six of their past 9 top-flight distant matches person ended successful defeat, losing their past 2 to Liverpool and Bournemouth by an aggregate people of 6-1.

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Man City defender Abdukodir Khusanov has emerged arsenic a uncertainty aft missing the triumph implicit Brentford with a knock. Nathan Ake volition apt clasp his spot astatine centre-back alongside Marc Guehi if Khusanov is not acceptable to return.

A precocious telephone volition besides beryllium made connected the availability of some Josko Gvardiol and Rodri, the second of whom has missed the past 4 games with a groin issue. Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez are the main 2 candidates to commencement successful midfield if Rodri is not acceptable to feature.

With 4 goals successful his past 3 appearances, in-form Jeremy Doku is primed to clasp his starting spot connected the near flank, portion the Premier League’s apical scorer Erling Haaland volition anticipation to adhd to his 26-goal tally erstwhile helium leads the line; helium already has 8 goals successful conscionable 5 top-flight outings versus Palace.

As for the Eagles, Eddie Nketiah (hamstring), Borna Sosa (unspecified) and Cheick Doucoure (muscle) each stay successful the attraction room, but Evann Guessand could beryllium acceptable to instrumentality from a genu wounded having taken portion successful training.

Ismaila Sarr scored his 20th extremity of the play successful each competitions past clip retired and could proceed successful onslaught connected Wednesday. Jean Philippe-Mateta and Yeremo Pino whitethorn articulation him successful the last 3rd astatine the disbursal of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Brennan Johnson.

Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma are some contenders to beryllium recalled successful midfield, but in-demand Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada could proceed successful the archetypal XI, portion Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell are acceptable to supply the width arsenic wing-backs erstwhile again successful a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Manchester City imaginable starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Crystal Palace imaginable starting lineup:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Riad; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Mateta

We say: Manchester City 3-2 Crystal Palace

Six of the past 7 Premier League encounters betwixt Man City and Crystal Palace person seen 3+ goals scored, portion 10 of the past 11 meetings astatine the Etihad person besides seen the nett ripple astatine slightest 3 times, truthful goals tin beryllium expected connected Wednesday.

With Arenal cheering them connected from afar, the Eagles person the credentials the punish City’s precocious antiaircraft line, but we are backing the hosts to crook up for this much-win lucifer and outscore the visitors, keeping the rubric contention live for a small portion longer.

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