Manchester City vs Crystal Palace Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad on Saturday afternoon, as they return to league action following midweek success.
The Citizens defeated Leicester City 3-1 on penalties, as they prevailed in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night - setting up a semi-final against League 1 side Burton Albion in the process as they look to retain the trophy they won in February.
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Crystal Palace, meanwhile, will hope to build on last week's fantastic result after they beat Leicester City 1-0 at Selhurst Park. Luka Milivojevic's superb strike secured a valuable three points, as they moved up to 15th in the table.
Here's 90min's breakdown of Saturday's Premier League clash.
How to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 22 December |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:00 (GMT) |
Where Is it Played? | Etihad Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | Gillette Soccer Saturday/BT Score |
Referee? | Andre Marriner |
Team News
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Manchester City are still without David Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Danilo and Claudio Bravo, who are all sidelined with long-term injuries.
It looks likely that star players Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne will be available for Saturday, with the latter playing and scoring in midweek. Aguero has missed the last four league games through a groin injury, but should be fit for Saturday's game.
For Crystal Palace, key man Wilfried Zaha and defender James Tomkins will both return from one-match suspensions. The return of Zaha in particular will be crucial, as he is likely to spearhead the Eagles attack at the Etihad.
Striker Christian Benteke is still out with a knee injury, although he may be back by the end of the month. Wayne Hennessey and Cheikhou Kouyate are doubts, but should be okay for the trip to Manchester.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City | Ederson; Delph, Laporte, Stones, Walker; De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Sane, Aguero, Sterling. |
Crystal Palace | Guaita; van Aanholt, Sakho, Kelly, Wan-Bissaka; Meyer, Milivojevic, Kouyate, McArthur; Zaha, Townsend. |
Head-to-Head Record
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The two sides have met 59 times, with 16 meetings in the Premier League. Manchester City have the better overall record, with 31 wins in contrast to Crystal Palace's 15 wins.
Last time out it was a goalless draw on New Year's Eve 2017, with Luka Milivojevic missing a penalty. City are totally dominant on their turf over the South Londoners, having won 5-0, 5-0 and 4-0 in Crystal Palace's last three visits to the Etihad.
In their 18 meetings in the 21st century, Crystal Palace have won just twice. They have won one of their last 16 games against the Citizens, which came in a 2-1 win in April 2015.
Recent Form
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Manchester City have recorded three successive victories in the space of a week, following their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. However, Pep Guardiola's side have failed to register a clean sheet in seven games in all competitions, since their 4-0 win over West Ham.
Crystal Palace bounced back from successive defeats to beat Leicester City 1-0 last Saturday.
Despite the win, the Eagles haven't won away from home in six attempts, last winning on the road in a 1-0 victory at Huddersfield in September.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures.
Manchester City | Crystal Palace |
Leicester City 1-1* Manchester City (18/12) | Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester City (15/12) |
Manchester City 3-1 Everton (15/12) | West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace (8/12) |
Manchester City 2-1 Hoffenheim (12/12) | Brighton 3-1 Crystal Palace (4/12) |
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City (8/12) | Crystal Palace 2-0 Burnley (1/12) |
Watford 1-2 Manchester City (4/12) | Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace (24/11) |
*Manchester City won 3-1 on penalties
Prediction
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With Wilfried Zaha returning for Crystal Palace, their attack will be rejuvenated and will hope to break down the Manchester City defence.
However the Citizens will be hungry to return to the top of the table, currently sitting one point off leaders Liverpool. They are also in strong form, and will have the advantages of playing as home as well as the return of Aguero and De Bruyne.
City have a reputation of producing ruthless displays against the Eagles at the Etihad, and it looks like Pep Guardiola's side will repeat that on Saturday afternoon.
Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Crystal Palace
