Josko Guardiol returns to the City starting line-up after a five-month absence.
The Croatian last played against Chelsea at the start of January and was one of six changes made by Pep Guardiola this evening.
Advertisement
Other returnees are Rayan Ait-Nouri, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Leaving are Nathan Ake, Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Ryan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.
LINE-UPS
CITY: Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri, Bernardo (C), Foden, Semenyo, Savinho, Marmoush
Subscribers: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Haaland, Cherki, Doku
PALACE: Following….
CONTINUE TO THE BLOUSE
City still have three Premier League games left and none of them are easy.
Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa are all good sides with their own agendas and objectives, but the Blues need to try and get all nine points.
Advertisement
It is important that we go into the final day with Arsenal needing to beat Palace at Selhurst Park – and that is not a given, even if it is their next Conference League final.
Improving the goal difference is important as if we can win our remaining games, we will not want to go into our last game against Villa needing to win by four or five goals.
Of course, let’s just win this game to keep a little pressure on Arsenal.
Stress and anticipation can be psychologically overwhelming and anything can happen.
So, as Pep Guardiola promised, the Blues will continue until the end, as we always do.
Statistics, facts and milestones
City are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against Crystal Palace (W5 D3) since losing 2-0 at home in October 2021.
Advertisement
Crystal Palace have scored exactly two goals in each of their last four Premier League away games against Man City, although they have managed to win only one of those (D1 L2). The only away team to score 2+ goals in five consecutive games at the Etihad is Tottenham Hotspur (five games now).
Since losing 2-0 against Spurs in their first league game this season, City are unbeaten in the last 16 at the Etihad (W13 D3). They also opened the field in all 16 games.
City are unbeaten in their last 23 evening games (7pm or later) in the Premier League (W17 D6) since losing 1-0 at Aston Villa in December 2023. However, five of their eight games in 2026 have been drawn (W3).
Only the top two teams Arsenal (10) and City (9) have won more Premier League away games this season than Crystal Palace (7), and no team has drawn fewer away games than the Eagles (2).
Advertisement
City have scored the most goals (38) and conceded the fewest goals (9) in the first half in the Premier League this season, although every fifth of those came after the break.
City’s Erling Haaland has scored in all five of his Premier League games against Crystal Palace, scoring eight goals in total. The only players to score in their first six games against an opponent in the competition are Raheem Sterling and Mohamed Salah (both against Bournemouth).
City’s Jérémy Doku has been involved in seven goals in his last six games in all competitions (5 goals, 2 assists), as many as he has had in his last 24 (1 goal, 6 assists).
Jean-Philippe Mateta has 49 goals in the Premier League, and would be only the second Crystal Palace to reach 50 after Wilfried Zaha (68). However, only 35% of his goals in the competition have come at home (17/49), and only two of the 11 have come at home.
Ismaïla Sarr has scored nine goals in his last 10 games in all competitions, and his 20 goals this season are the most by a Crystal Palace player since Glenn Murray’s 31 in 2012-13.
