Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace: Haaland Continues Golden Boot Hunt

The pair’s last weekend resulted in surprise FA Cup glory for the Eagles.

Erling Haaland (middle) is simply unstoppable. / OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

Manchester City continue their push to reclaim their Premier League crown when they visit Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side cut the gap to first place last weekend as they capitalised on a rare Arsenal blunder, with their midweek victory over record European champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu only boosting confidence levels further.

Overcoming Palace to secure a fifth straight victory will not be simple—as City discovered in last season’s FA Cup final—but Guardiola’s wealth of attacking options should, in theory, have the necessary muscle to overpower their hosts.

Here’s how City could line up in the capital.

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Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace (4-1-4-1)

Rayan Cherki is on fire right now. / Kate McShane/Getty Images

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—Donnarumma has managed five clean sheets in the Premier League this season and will be eager to clinch a sixth against a Palace side who are far from prolific.

RB: Matheus Nunes—Nunes struggled with the threat posed by Vinicius Junior midweek and he will be grateful to avoid a similar test against Palace. Tyrick Mitchell will offer concern on the overlap, but it should be a simpler outing for the Portugal international.

CB: Rúben Dias—If Jean-Philippe Mateta is fit to start amid injury doubts, then Dias will need to be at his imperious best to thwart Palace’s powerhouse. Only Erling Haaland (15) and Igor Thiago (11) have scored more than Mateta’s seven in the Premier League.

CB: Joško Gvardiol—Gvardiol will need to be similarly alert to deny Mateta. The Croatian was largely impressive against Madrid’s dynamite forwards midweek after recovering from a shaky start.

LB: Nico O’Reilly—O’Reilly could use a rest, as previously hinted at by Guardiola, but the Englishman is simply too good to drop right now. He scored against Madrid to take his tally of goal contributions to six for the season.

DM: Nico González—He’s no Rodri, that’s for sure, but González is the best City have in defensive midfield right now. The Spaniard will be key to stifling Palace’s inside forwards, with Ismaïla Sarr one to keep close tabs on should he be passed fit.

RM: Bernardo Silva—Silva struggled against Madrid in a fixture he usually enjoys, but the Portugal international is a firm Guardiola favourite. He should start on the right-hand side over the more offensive-minded Oscar Bobb and Savinho.

CM: Rayan Cherki—Tijjani Reijnders is in serious trouble following some terrific recent displays from Cherki. After a rabona assist that stole the show last weekend, he produced a composed display against Madrid.

CM: Phil Foden—Foden’s scoring streak came to a conclusion at the Bernabéu after five goals in his previous three matches, but Palace will struggle to keep the England international quiet. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s never scored in eight past meetings with the Eagles.

LM: Jérémy Doku—Doku is on fire right now and will profit from the absence of Daniel Muñoz this weekend. 34-year-old Nathaniel Clyne looks likely to come up against City’s speedy star.

ST: Erling Haaland—Six goals in five games against Palace is a pretty good record, with the FA Cup final his only blank against the Eagles. He scored in this exact fixture last season and looks set to add to his incredible Premier League tally.

City have a deep reserve of attacking stars. / FotMob

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