Manchester City vs Crystal Palace – News and Probable Lineups

Realizing that any points dropped could nearly end their hopes of winning the Premier League, Manchester City host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium for a crucial top-tier encounter on Wednesday night.

In their previous matchup at Selhurst Park last December, the Citizens secured a comfortable 3-0 victory against the Eagles, with two goals from Erling Haaland and one from Phil Foden.

Match overview

Following a tumultuous yet disappointing 3-3 draw against Everton, Manchester City responded with an essential 3-0 win at home against Brentford on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, and Omar Marmoush.

Despite Pep Guardiola’s motivational “Come on you Irons” speech falling on deaf ears, leaders Arsenal managed to secure a narrow 1-0 triumph over West Ham United on Sunday, aided by a contentious VAR call that ruled out a late equalizer from the Hammers.

This outcome positions Manchester City five points behind Arsenal at the top of the table, but a win over Palace on Wednesday could reduce that gap to just two points. City will then face the FA Cup final this weekend, and later wrap up their league campaign with matches against in-form Bournemouth and Europa League finalists Aston Villa.

Guardiola’s squad understands that failing to secure a victory against the Eagles would grant Arsenal the opportunity to clinch the title in their last home fixture of the season against relegated Burnley next Monday. Nevertheless, City can take solace in their impressive 36-match unbeaten streak at home on Wednesdays in the Premier League, which includes 30 wins since May 2010 (D6).

Since the end of August last year, the Citizens have not lost a top-tier match at the Etihad (W13 D3), scoring 2 or more goals in 14 of their last 16 home encounters. Additionally, they’ve only experienced one defeat in their last nine matchups against Crystal Palace across all competitions (W5 D3), which was a 1-0 loss in the 2025 FA Cup final at Wembley.

Only a few days after carving their names into history and securing their place in the Conference League final, Crystal Palace fought back twice to earn a point in a 2-2 draw against Everton at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Outgoing head coach Oliver Glasner praised the “massive performance” by his Palace squad, who are now mathematically safe from relegation after West Ham’s recent defeat. The Eagles currently occupy 14th place in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but nine points behind the top seven with only three matches remaining.

Having amassed 44 points so far, Palace will end the season with fewer points than they had last year (53). However, they still hope to surpass their previous finish in 12th place and aim for a top-half position, with just five points separating them from ninth place.

Before their final two league matches against Brentford away and Arsenal at home, Palace make the trip to the Etihad, a ground where they have been unexpectedly resilient in recent seasons, managing to score at least two goals in six of their last seven visits and obtaining eight points from those fixtures (W2 D2 L3).

Palace have also accumulated slightly more points on their travels this season (23) than they have at home (21), although they have lost six of their last nine away matches in the top flight, including their last two against Liverpool and Bournemouth, with a combined score of 6-1.

Team News

Defender Abdukodir Khusanov of Manchester City has turned into a potential doubt after missing the match against Brentford due to a knock. Nathan Ake is expected to keep his position at center-back alongside Marc Guehi if Khusanov is unable to recover.

A decision regarding the availability of both Josko Gvardiol and Rodri will also be made late, with Rodri having missed the last four games due to a groin injury. If Rodri is unavailable, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez are the primary candidates to start in midfield.

Following his recent form with four goals in his last three matches, Jeremy Doku is likely to retain his place on the left side of the attack, while Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland will be aiming to add to his tally of 26 goals as he leads the offense; he boasts eight goals in just five league appearances against Palace.

As for the Eagles, Eddie Nketiah (hamstring), Borna Sosa (unspecified), and Cheick Doucoure (muscle) are all sidelined, but Evann Guessand may be fit to make a return from a knee injury having participated in training.

Ismaila Sarr netted his 20th goal of the season in all competitions last time and may continue in the forward line on Wednesday. Jean Philippe-Mateta and Yeremo Pino could join him in attack, possibly at the expense of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Brennan Johnson.

Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma are both in contention to be recalled in midfield, though Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada could continue in the starting XI, with Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell expected to provide width as wing-backs in a 3-4-2-1 setup.

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; González, Bernardo; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Crystal Palace probable starting XI:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Riad; Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Sarr; Mateta

In the last seven Premier League clashes between Manchester City and Crystal Palace, at least three goals have been scored six times, while in 10 of the last 11 meetings at the Etihad, the net has bulged on at least three occasions, suggesting that fans can expect goals on Wednesday.

With Arsenal supporting them from a distance, the Eagles possess the potential to exploit City’s high defensive line, but we expect the hosts to rise to the occasion in this must-win match, outscoring their opponents and keeping the title race alive for a bit longer.