The Cityzens look to return to winning ways this weekend but face a tough test when Vieira's tricky side pay them a visit at the Etihad Stadium.

Preview

Another round of Premier League fixtures is upon us, with defending champions Manchester City being one of several teams to take to the field on Saturday. Unfortunately for Guardiola's men, they are in for another tricky test as they will face Crystal Palace this weekend in an interesting showdown at the Etihad Stadium.

The Cityzens enter this clash on the back of a thrilling encounter with Newcastle in what was arguably the most exciting 90 minutes of football so far this season in the English top-flight. De Bruyne and Co. headed to St. James' Park as only one of two teams with a 100 percent record, the other being Arsenal, but came close to suffering their first defeat of the season.

Ilkay Gundogan gave the visitors an early lead not too long after kick-off in what was a dominant start from Manchester City. However, Eddie Howe's men grew into the game and put the Premier League champions on the ropes, scoring twice in just over 10 minutes before getting a third in the second half, with Trippier netting an exquisite free kick to make it 3-1.

However, Pep's men turned things around and scored twice inside three minutes right around the hour mark, with Erling Haaland getting on the scoresheet before De Bruyne showed his brilliant vision to set up Bernardo Silva for the equalizer.

The Cityzens thus head into this round in second spot, but boast the joint-best attack in the league, scoring nine goals so far – level with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. The Premier League giants have also been in action since, albeit in a friendly, taking on Barcelona at the Camp Nou during the midweek and playing out a 3-3 draw once again. However, after back-to-back victories over West Ham and Bournemouth in their opening two games, City should be confident of returning to winning ways.

However, this does not mean it will be an easy feat. Crystal Palace are one of many tricky teams outside the big six this season. In fact, last term, the Premier League champions failed to beat the Eagles both home and away, losing at the Etihad to Patrick Vieira's side before playing out a goalless draw in the return fixture at Selhurst Park.

One needs to look no further than Palace's start to the season in order to understand why there are a tough opposition. Despite their horrible pre-season campaign, Zaha and Co. put on an admirable performance against the Gunners in the opening round and could have picked up a point in that showdown.

Fast forward to Matchweek 2 and the London outfit made the trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool, and this time, they did manage a draw, playing out a 1-1 stalemate after Zaha's brilliant opening goal was cancelled out by a stunning Luis Diaz effort.

In the third round, Vieira's men welcomed Aston Villa and delivered a convincing display and emphatic victory, beating Gerrard's side 3-1, with – you guessed it – Zaha netting a brace. However, what makes the visitors a tricky team is that they are now blessed with talent throughout their squad.

Gone are the days when Wilfried was their one and only source for inspiration. Now, the likes of Eze and Olise, who is working his way back from injury, shouldn't be taken lightly while Andersen, Guehi, and summer signing Doucoure give Palace a reliable spine. Nonetheless, that spine and promising attack will be put to the test on Saturday.

Team news

Man City: Kalvin Phillips and Luke Mbete both picked up knocks after featuring in the aforementioned friendly at the Camp Nou, but this shouldn't be too worrying as neither were set to start against Palace. Aymeric Laporte remains sidelined due to his knee injury, having undergone surgery, while Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake will undergo a late tests to determine their fitness. Ruben Dias, who came on as a sub for Ake in that Newcastle clash, should start.

Crystal Palace: The Eagles recently took on—and beat—Oxford in the Carabao Cup, with Vieira making several changes for that fixture. Andersen, Mitchell, Doucoure, Schlupp, and Eze should all return to the lineup. Zaha will resume his spot in the lineup, but Mateta could usurp Edouard in the no.9 role after coming off the bench and scoring vs Aston Villa. James Tomkins, Jack Butland, and Nathan Ferguson are all sidelined for the visitors.

Key stats

  • Man City failed to score against only one Premier League team last season in the English top-flight and that was Crystal Palace.

  • However, the Cityzens have won 13 of their last 15 home games in the Premier League.

  • The Eagles are unbeaten in three of their last four trips to the Etihad Stadium.

  • If Vieira's side triumph on Saturday, they will become only the second team to beat Guardiola's side in three consecutive away matches.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Manchester City 4 - 2 Crystal Palace

August 27, 2022 10:00amEtihad Stadium (Manchester)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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