Manchester City will host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night knowing nothing but victory can effectively end their Premier League title challenge.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain five points adrift of leaders Arsenal with a few games to play, meaning there is almost no room for error heading into this game.
City responded well to their 3-3 draw against Everton by beating Brentford 3-0 at home last weekend, with Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush all finding the net.
Despite that result, Arsenal’s win over West Ham ensured the pressure was on the chasers. A win over Palace would at least cut the gap back to two points and keep the title race alive in the final week of the campaign.
The Etihad have once again become a stronghold for Guardiola’s side. City are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League home games and have scored at least twice in 14 of those games, while they have also won five of the last nine meetings with Palace in all competitions.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, will travel to Manchester fresh from a 2-2 draw with Everton, a result that statistically confirmed their Premier League status for another season.
Oliver Glasner’s side have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, particularly after reaching the Conference League final, although their league form has been inconsistent with just one win in their last six Premier League games.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace team news
Manchester City could once again be without Abdukodir Khusanov, who missed the win over Brentford through injury. Josko Gvardiol and Rodri are also doubtful and will undergo tests before the start of the matches.
Nathan Ake could continue with former Palace captain Marc Guehi in central defense if Khusanov is unavailable, while Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders could both be options in midfield if Rodri fails to recover in time.
Jeremy Doku is expected to keep his place after scoring four goals in his last three games, while Haaland lead the line as they have scored eight goals in the Premier League against Palace.
Crystal Palace are still without Eddie Nketiah, Borna Sosa and Cheick Doucoure through injury, although Evans Guessand could return to the squad after resuming training.
Ismaila Sarr is likely to continue in attack after scoring his 20th goal last season, while Jean-Philippe Mateta should also start up front.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace expected matches
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Riad; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Mother-in-law
Where to watch Manchester City vs Crystal Palace: Tv channel, online streaming
The match will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports.
The match is scheduled for 8:00pm BST on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace statistics
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 16 home Premier League games
- City have scored 2+ goals in 14 of their last 16 league games at the Etihad
- Crystal Palace have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven away league games against City
- Erling Haaland has scored eight Premier League goals against Palace
- Palace have lost their last nine Premier League away games
Manchester City v Crystal Palace prediction
Crystal Palace have shown in recent seasons that they are capable of causing problems for Manchester City, especially in counter attack.
However, City’s need for three points, combined with their impressive home record, should ultimately decide what will be another interesting game.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-2 Crystal Palace
