Crystal Palace welcome Manchester City to Selhurst Park on Sunday, in a Premier League clash loaded with recent history and title implications. It is the first league meeting between the sides since Palace stunned City 1-0 in the FA Cup final last May, a result that delivered the Eagles their first major trophy and still lingers in the memory.
City arrive on the back of a morale-boosting European night, having edged Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu, a result that underlined their momentum as reported by SoftFootball.
Palace, meanwhile, come into the game with confidence of their own after a convincing 3-0 Europa Conference League win away to Shelbourne, extending their winning run across competitions to three matches.
Oliver Glasner’s side have been one of the league’s most consistent teams this season and sit fourth in the table, while City are second and just two points behind leaders Arsenal after clawing back ground in recent weeks.
City assistant coach Kolo Toure, who spoke to the media in Pep Guardiola’s absence, made it clear the visitors are not distracted by the title race narrative. He stressed that the focus remains internal, saying the squad are concentrating on their own performances rather than looking at Arsenal.
Touré also described working under Guardiola as a dream, praising the manager’s energy, trust and freedom he gives his staff to express themselves.
Glasner expects a huge test but believes his team can rise to it again. He highlighted the need for efficiency, strong goalkeeping and collective spirit, the same ingredients that carried Palace to FA Cup glory.
The Austrian coach admitted City’s attack is fluid and difficult to contain but feels there will be spaces to exploit if Palace are brave and decisive.
Team News
City will be without Rodri and John Stones this weekend. Rodri is progressing well in his rehabilitation but will not feature, while Stones is recovering from a thigh issue and is expected back soon, as confirmed in a post shared by the club’s official X account.
Check the post below:
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are both available for this match before departing for AFCON. Palace remain without Daniel Munoz, with late calls to be made on Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, though Glasner is optimistic both can be involved.
Possible Lineups
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Pino, Nketiah; Mateta.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
SoftFootball’s Prediction
City’s record at Selhurst Park is strong, and their attacking form has been ruthless, but Palace’s structure and belief make this a serious examination. Expect a competitive contest with chances at both ends. SoftFootball predicts a narrow Manchester City win, with quality likely to tell late on.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City.
