Manchester City are back on home turf for their league outing against Crystal Palace

Manchester City are back on home turf for their latest league outing against Crystal Palace. A couple of nights ago, the Cityzens faced a minor setback in their ongoing season as they missed out on possible silverware after losing to West Ham on penalties in their Round of 16 fixture of the Carabao Cup.

Moving on, the defending champions are now back in the  Premier League and are now facing the Eagles, who have won only one game since the start of their new season. However, it is important to remember that Patrick Viera’s men have put up solid displays against the likes of Arsenal and Leicester City, where they managed to hold both sides to a 2-2 draw, and therefore can stop City from claiming all three points from this fixture.

Ahead of the game, Guardiola had positive words for the Palace boss as he said :

"When a person like Patrick came to Bayern it was an honor for me to get a visit for what he has done in world football, not just on the pitch. It’s a privilege and honor, we were together a short time in Manchester. Now it changes the dynamic, the way Palace play, changing many things. They always had really good players."

For now, this City lineup on Saturday will see Ederson return between the sticks. The Brazilian will be guarded by two solid central defenders in the shape of Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte. Both defenders have been in fine form this term and are expected to maintain solidarity at the back against an unpredictable Eagles’ attack.

In the defensive flanks, Kyle Walker will likely walk in as the right-back whereas Joao Cancelo will get a full-fledged start at left-back. This means that Oleksandr Zinchenko will have to make way for the Portuguese international and will again have to relegate himself back to the bench for this game.

Manchester City’s midfield will carry the presence of Rodri as the defensive midfielder. Kevin De Bruyne will start on the left side of the midfield. The Belgian has had a slow start to his season and therefore will hope to put up a good shift for the hosts on Saturday. Bernardo Silva will feature on the right side of the midfield and will be handed an attacking role in this lineup.

Finally, City’s attacking third will consist of Jack Grealish as the left-winger. Phil Foden will be accommodated as the main striker and will look to impress in place of long-time absentee Ferran Torres. Gabriel Jesus will be operating as the right-winger after being rested for the EFL clash against West Ham on Wednesday.