Crystal Palace vs Manchester City – News and Probable Lineups

This Friday, two new head coaches will face off in their quest for success as Crystal Palace hosts Manchester City at Selhurst Park for their first match in the Premier League at home this season.

The Eagles will aim to recover from their loss in the opening match, while the Citizens hope to maintain their winning streak early in the season.

Match overview

Under the leadership of former manager Oliver Glasner, Palace had an impressive couple of seasons, achieving victories in both the FA Cup and Conference League, putting pressure on current head coach Pierre Sage to match that success.

While it might be unreasonable to expect the former Lens manager to quickly achieve his predecessor’s level of success, supporters may feel uncertain as their team faces one of the most formidable sides in modern English football.

Nevertheless, Palace might feel they were unlucky not to gain any points, having produced 1.96 expected goals relative to Everton’s 1.12, indicating that improved finishing could have translated their four missed big opportunities into a potential three points.

To avoid a repeat of their previous match on Friday, the Eagles must be more clinical in front of goal, especially given their poor track record against City in recent encounters, where they have lost six out of their last ten games and secured a single victory—a memorable win in the 2025 FA Cup final.

On the other hand, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City are embarking on their journey into a new era after Pep Guardiola, and though their opening performance wasn’t flawless, they managed to secure the vital three points.

The Citizens rebounded from their 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield by edging past Bournemouth with a 2-1 victory last Sunday.

Despite being down a goal at halftime, Maresca’s team equalized in the 84th minute through Marc Guehi, followed by a stoppage-time winner from Josko Gvardiol that dramatically changed the outcome of the match.

City will be aiming for a more straightforward win on Friday, yet fans are aware that the team has struggled to keep a clean sheet under their new head coach.

Additionally, last season City only won two of their final five away league matches, and with the squad still undergoing transitions, their performance on the road in 2026-27 remains uncertain.

Team News

Palace will be without reported Liverpool target Ismaila Sarr this week, as he continues his individual training to recover from a groin injury, which means Dwight McNeil and Eddie Nketiah might take starting positions behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

On the defensive side, centre-back Chadi Riad is out due to a knee issue, but Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards, and Takehiro Tomiyasu should be ready to form Sage’s defensive trio.

For Manchester City, they will be without left winger Jeremy Doku as he continues to regain fitness after a calf problem.

In his absence, Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly, and Antoine Semenyo are likely to start as the attacking trio supporting the key forward, Erling Haaland.

Additionally, midfielder Elliot Anderson is a doubt as he recovers from a thigh injury, and should he be unavailable, Mateo Kovacic might partner Marc Guehi in Maresca’s double pivot.

Crystal Palace probable starting XI:

Henderson; Canvot, Richards, Tomiyasu; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; McNeil, Nketiah; Mateta

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Guardiol; Kovacic, Guehi; Foden, O’Reilly, Semenyo; Haaland

Despite their defeat to Everton, Palace created sufficient opportunities to find the net at least once and could do so on Friday if they manage to improve their finishing.

City should possess the necessary scoring capability to secure a narrow victory this week, even if they concede and the match becomes competitive.