Pep Guardiola's stuttering Manchester City side welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium with their top-four hopes hanging in the balance following a string of underwhelming performances, including last weekend's goalless Manchester derby.
The Eagles arrive in remarkable form, unbeaten in their last ten away league matches and having lost just twice in their previous 17 games across all competitions since Christmas, with Jean-Philippe Mateta continuing his hot streak after netting nine goals in his last ten Premier League appearances.
All eyes will be on whether the Citizens can overcome their recent struggles or if Palace can continue their impressive run when Manchester City vs Crystal Palace kicks off this Saturday.
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace prediction: who will win?
For today's Manchester City vs Crystal Palace matchup, our predictive model gives the Palace a 53% chance of defeating the City.
Pre-game probabilities
Crystal Palace
Moneyline
Win %
53%
47%
Manchester City
Crystal Palace: 53% win probability
- Strong recent form with 5 unbeaten matches (WDWWW showing impressive consistency)
- Defensive solidity with just 35 goals conceded (among the top 5 defensive records in the league)
- Game in hand advantage (30 played vs City's 31, potentially gaining more points)
Manchester City: 47% win probability
- Inconsistent recent form (DWDLW showing vulnerability)
- Mid-table position (6th place) despite expectations
- Below-par attack (57 goals scored despite their usual high-scoring reputation)
At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model harnesses insights from top Premier League football experts. Instead of scouring hundreds of analyses across the web, you can rely on our predictions to gauge the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analysing football predictions, statistics, and expert opinions, and our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. These confidence levels are then averaged to create an 'expert opinion' win probability—capturing the collective intelligence of the football industry's most respected Premier League analysts..
| Manchester City | Crystal Palace | Draw | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Result |
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace preview
Man City welcome a red-hot Crystal Palace side to the Etihad on Saturday in what promises to be a real test for Pep Guardiola's struggling squad.
The Citizens' goalless draw in the Manchester derby extended their patchy form to just four wins in nine games, while Palace are flying high with only two defeats in their last 17 matches.
Both sides shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park back in December, and we could be in for another cracker given the Eagles haven't lost a Premier League away game since October.
Guardiola's injury woes continue with Erling Haaland, Rodri, and John Stones all sidelined, forcing him to potentially deploy a makeshift 4-2-3-1 formation with Omar Marmoush leading the line.
Palace's in-form striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who's bagged an impressive nine goals in his last ten league appearances, will fancy his chances against a City defense that's kept just one clean sheet in their last six outings.
The visitors' rock-solid defense has conceded only four goals in their previous six games while netting 14 themselves – a stat that should worry the home fans.
Recent history doesn't favor Palace at the Etihad, but with City looking vulnerable and the Eagles soaring through an incredible away run, Oliver Glasner's men might just snatch something from this fixture.
Whatever happens, expect goals from both sides in what should be a proper football match between a wounded champion and a team playing with nothing to lose.
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace form
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace head to head
Manchester City
100%
Crystal Palace
0%
Dec 7, 2024
Crystal Palace
2 : 2
Manchester City
Apr 6, 2024
Crystal Palace
2 : 4
Manchester City
Dec 16, 2023
Manchester City
2 : 2
Crystal Palace
Mar 11, 2023
Crystal Palace
0 : 1
Manchester City
Aug 27, 2022
Manchester City
4 : 2
Crystal Palace
Mar 14, 2022
Crystal Palace
0 : 0
Manchester City
