Crystal Palace vs Man City: Team News, H2H, Predicted lineup and Match Preview
On Saturday, April 6, 2024, Crystal Palace will host Manchester City at Selhurst Park for their Round 32 fixture in the Premier League, with kickoff scheduled for 11:30 UTC.
Crystal Palace Form
Since taking over from Roy Hodgson at the end of February, Oliver Glasner has managed Crystal Palace in five Premier League matches, securing five points. This includes a 3-0 victory over Burnley, followed by two draws and two losses.
The team earned single points from 1-1 draws against relegation-threatened teams Luton Town and Nottingham Forest. However, they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Tuesday, with Justin Kluivert scoring the winning goal in the 79th minute.
Despite winning only two league matches out of 10 since the start of the year, Palace is still on track to maintain their Premier League status for a 12th consecutive season. They currently sit in 14th place, eight points above the relegation zone, with a game in hand over 18th-placed Luton.
After struggling at home earlier in the season, winning only one of their first nine home league matches, Palace has improved, earning 10 points in their last five games at Selhurst Park. They have won four top-flight games at home this season, scoring three goals in each of these victories.
However, Palace has faced difficulty scoring against Manchester City in recent home encounters, failing to find the net in their last four meetings. The last Palace player to score a home goal against City was Luka Milivojevic in April 2019, in a 3-1 defeat.
Manchester City Form
Man City secured a convincing 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium after two consecutive draws against Liverpool and Arsenal. Phil Foden's hat-trick was the highlight of the match, boosting his season goal tally to 21 across all competitions.
Despite their unbeaten run of 15 games in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola's side remains third in the table, level on points with Liverpool and one point behind leaders Arsenal with eight games left in the season. They aim to secure an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.
Confidence is high for Man City as they head to Crystal Palace, having not lost any of their last eight Premier League away games against them. However, defensively, City haven't been at their strongest in London, keeping just one clean sheet in their last nine top-flight away games against capital-based opposition.
A victory against Crystal Palace would not only boost their title hopes but also maintain morale ahead of a crucial Champions League quarter-final first-leg match against Real Madrid in Spain next Tuesday.
Head to Head
Manchester City holds the advantage in their head-to-head clashes, emerging victorious in 37 out of 70 previous encounters with Palace. Palace has secured 17 wins, with the remaining 16 matches resulting in draws.
In their recent five meetings, Cityzens have suffered only one defeat and secured two victories against the Eagles.
The outcomes of the past five matches:
- Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace – Premier League – December 16, 2023
- Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City – Premier League – March 11, 2023
- Man City 4-2 Crystal Palace – Premier League – August 27, 2022
- Crystal Palace 0-0 Man City – Premier League – March 14, 2022
- Man City 0-2 Crystal Palace – Premier League – October 30, 2021
Team News
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards was absent from the loss against Bournemouth due to a knee injury, adding to the injury list which includes Sam Johnstone (elbow), Cheick Doucoure (Achilles), Marc Guehi (knee), Rob Holding (foot), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (thigh), and Matheus Franca (groin).
However, key winger Michael Olise, sidelined since February 3 with a thigh issue, has returned to training and might be available for selection, although starting ahead of Jordan Ayew or Eberechi Eze appears unlikely.
Jefferson Lerma filled in as a left-sided center-back in Richards' absence and is expected to continue alongside Joachim Andersen and Joel Ward in a back three, with Will Hughes and Adam Wharton likely to pair up in central midfield.
On the other hand, Manchester City faces defensive setbacks with Kyle Walker (hamstring) and Nathan Ake (unspecified) expected to miss out due to injury, while goalkeeper Ederson (muscle) is doubtful.
John Stones, who has been an unused substitute in the last two games, might see some action against Palace, although a starting role seems improbable. Thus, a back four of Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol may remain unchanged.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, rested in the midweek game, could return to the starting lineup against Palace. De Bruyne, particularly, has a strong record against the Eagles, scoring four goals in their previous encounters. However, he comes into Saturday's match after failing to score in 12 of his last 17 appearances for club and country.
Predicted Lineup
Crystal Palace possible lineup:
Henderson; Ward, Andersen, Lerma; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Ayew, Mateta, Eze
Manchester City possible lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland
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Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Prediction
Despite Crystal Palace's recent struggles to score against Manchester City at home, they have often frustrated City at Selhurst Park. There is optimism for Palace to break through City's defense this time, especially considering that Guardiola's side has kept only three clean sheets in 14 away games this season.
However, keeping City from scoring could be challenging for Palace, particularly with their makeshift defense due to injury concerns. City, who have scored in their last 11 away matches, are likely to exploit this vulnerability and secure maximum points.