Home of football statistics and historySelhurst Park forms the backdrop for a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final as Crystal Palace and Manchester City go head-to-head in the Premier League’s top-four six-pointer on Sunday.
Confidence remains sky-high around the London outfit, as they are firmly in contention for a historic top-four finish in the Premier League after snatching a late win at Fulham last weekend.
Exit-linked captain Marc Guehi bagged a last-gasp winner, inspiring Oliver Glasner’s high-flying side to their second consecutive league victory following a narrow 1-0 triumph at Burnley.
Palace set themselves up perfectly for this mouth-watering fixture with a commanding 3-0 Europa Conference League win against Shelbourne on Thursday, despite travelling with only 15 senior players.
Man City also impressed in midweek European action, overcoming an early deficit to beat record-time Champions League winners Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A 2-1 win in the Spanish capital extended City’s winning streak in all competitions to four matches, strengthening their bid to avenge last season’s FA Cup heartbreak.
However, Palace have been the Cityzens’ kryptonite in recent years, so the visitors’ pre-match favouritism should be treated with caution, even though they’ve not lost at Selhurst Park since April 2015.
Priced at odds of 1.90 to take three precious points, Pep Guardiola’s men cannot afford a slip-up in London, especially after closing the gap to table-topping Arsenal to only two points with a 3-0 rout of Sunderland last weekend. For the growing number of fans exploring cryptocurrency, there are gambling platforms like crypto casinos UK that support crypto payments, giving fans the ultimate flexibility in how they fund their betting accounts.
Well-oiled machine
Glasner has turned Palace into a force to be reckoned with, inspiring them to their best-ever 15-game start to a Premier League campaign on the back of last season’s unprecedented FA Cup triumph.
Despite the Eagles’ formidable league record, they’ve leaked points at Selhurst Park. A 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in their last home league outing further derailed their dismal top-flight record in London (W2, D4, L1).
It’s also worth noting that Palace’s only two wins in their last 20 Premier League meetings with City came at the Etihad Stadium (D5, L13), while seven of the ten clashes at Selhurst Park during that span ended in defeat (D3).
With that in mind, it’s somewhat surprising that Palace have opened the scoring inside ten minutes in four of their last six top-flight encounters against Guardiola’s charges (D1, L3).
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s potential absence would significantly dent Palace’s scoring potential here, yet Glanser confirmed he should be ready for Sunday’s showdown.
Resurgent titans
High-scoring victories over Fulham and Madrid mean Man City could post a coveted set of three consecutive away wins for the first time this season, but that could prove easier said than done.
For perspective, Guardiola’s men have gone winless in all four away league clashes against sides who start this round 12th or higher (D1, L3), including a brace of single-goal margin defeats at Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
Scoring has oddly become one of Man City’s problem areas away from home, as they’ve bagged more than one goal in just two of their seven road league fixtures this season.
Guardiola will likely turn to free-scoring Erling Braut Haaland to provide the firepower needed to overcome their away-day struggles. He tops the league scoring charts with 15 goals.
Haaland, who has tallied more goals in his first 50 Champions League starts than any other player in history (the Sun), scored City’s winning strike at the Bernabeu.
However, City must also improve defensively, particularly after the break, having conceded eight of their ten away league goals in the second half.
Team News
In addition to Mateta, Glasner is still sweating over Ismaila Sarr’s match fitness. Meanwhile, Daniel Munoz and Cheick Doucoure remain on the sidelines with long-term injuries.
Rodri, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic will not be part of City’s travelling squad, with Nico Gonzalez expected to fill the midfield vacancy.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Pino, Nketiah; Mateta.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Silva, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
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