Manchester City host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night knowing anything other than victory could effectively end their Premier League title challenge.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain five points behind leaders Arsenal with only a handful of games left to play, meaning there is virtually no margin for error heading into this fixture.
City responded well to their frustrating 3-3 draw against Everton by beating Brentford 3-0 at home last weekend, with Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush all finding the net.
Despite that result, Arsenal’s victory over West Ham ensured the pressure remains on the chasers. A win over Palace would at least reduce the gap back to two points and keep the title race alive heading into the final week of the campaign.
The Etihad has once again been a fortress for Guardiola’s side. City are unbeaten in their last 16 home Premier League matches and have scored at least twice in 14 of those games, while they have also won five of their last nine meetings with Palace in all competitions.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, travel to Manchester fresh from a 2-2 draw with Everton, a result that mathematically secured their Premier League status for another season.
Oliver Glasner’s side have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, particularly after reaching the Conference League final, although their league form has remained inconsistent with just one win from their last six Premier League matches.
Team news for Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Manchester City could once again be without Abdukodir Khusanov, who missed the Brentford win through injury. Josko Gvardiol and Rodri also remain doubts and will be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Nathan Ake may continue alongside former Palace captain Marc Guehi in central defence if Khusanov is unavailable, while Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders are both options in midfield should Rodri fail to recover in time.
Jeremy Doku is expected to keep his place after scoring four goals in his last three appearances, while Haaland leads the line having already scored eight Premier League goals against Palace.
Crystal Palace remain without Eddie Nketiah, Borna Sosa and Cheick Doucoure through injury, although Evann Guessand could return to the squad after resuming training.
Ismaila Sarr is likely to continue in attack after netting his 20th goal of the season last time out, while Jean-Philippe Mateta should also start in the front line.
Expected line-ups for Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Riad; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Mateta
Where to watch Manchester City vs Crystal Palace: Tv channel, online stream
The match will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00pm BST on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
The stats for Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League home matches
- City have scored 2+ goals in 14 of their last 16 league games at the Etihad
- Crystal Palace have scored at least twice in six of their last seven away league games against City
- Erling Haaland has scored eight Premier League goals against Palace
- Palace have lost six of their last nine Premier League away matches
Prediction for Manchester City v Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have shown in recent seasons that they are capable of causing problems for Manchester City, particularly on the counter-attack.
However, City’s need for three points, combined with their exceptional home record, should ultimately prove decisive in what is shaping up to be another entertaining encounter.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-2 Crystal Palace
