Seeking to win back-to-back Premier League matches in the space of just four days, Manchester City travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles picked up a point in a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium this time last year, before losing 4-2 to the Citizens on home soil in April.
Match preview
© Imago
Since losing three games in a row between September 28 and October 21, Crystal Palace have suffered defeat only once across their last six matches and have picked up nine points in the process to boost their survival hopes.
The Eagles extended their unbeaten run to three matches when they secured a slender 1-0 victory away against Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, with a second-half strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta's sealing just their second top-flight win of the campaign and their first away from home.
Even though Palace did not produce their best performance in the eyes of manager Oliver Glasner, the Austrian has declared that his team are on the right path and has urged his players to not "sit back and relax" during a busy fixtures schedule over the festive period.
Sitting 17th in the table and hovering three points above the relegation zone, Palace will be keen to improve their home form having won just one of their seven Premier League games at Selhurst Park this term, after winning five of their first seven under Glasner at the end of last season.
However, success on Saturday could prove challenging as the Eagles have only come out on top in two of their last 18 Premier League meetings with Man City (D4 L12), and both of those victories were secured at the Etihad Stadium in December 2018 and October 2020.
© Imago
Man City had descended into crisis after going seven games without a win across all competitions, losing six of those matches and conceding 19 goals in the process, but Pep Guardiola's side ended their miserable run of form with a morale-boosting 3-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Goals from Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku helped the Citizens pick up maximum points for the first time since the end of October, while the reigning champions also kept just their third clean sheet of the campaign.
After throwing away a three-goal lead in the final 15 minutes against Feyenoord in the Champions League just over a week ago, Guardiola admitted that his team "weren't truly relaxed until the final whistle" against Forest, but he was nevertheless pleased to see the Citizens "break this routine of not winning games".
Guardiola's men currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, and although many have suggested that their title bid is now over, their midweek win over Forest helped them to gain two points on leaders Liverpool, who are now nine points ahead of Man City after drawing 3-3 with Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Man City head into Saturday's contest having lost each of their last five away games in all competitions. They last lost six in a row back in February 1994, while the last reigning top-flight champions to lose six away matches in a row were Man City themselves during the 1968-69 campaign.
The Citizens can be confident of success against Crystal Palace, though, as they have won seven of their last nine Premier League away meetings with the Eagles, including the aforementioned 4-2 victory at Selhurst Park in April of last season.
Team News
© Imago
Crystal Palace trio Chadi Riad (knee), Adam Wharton and Matheus Franca (both groin) all remain sidelined with injuries, although the former two are closing in on a return having taken part in training and could be back in action at some stage this month.
Cheick Doucoure is fit to start after Glasner confirmed that his half-time substitution against Ipswich was made because of a booking and not an injury. The Mali international will battle with Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes for a place in midfield.
Daichi Kamada is available for selection after serving a three-match suspension, and he could also feature in midfield or provide support in attack for Mateta and Eberechi Eze.
As for Man City, Nathan Ake sustained a hamstring injury in the closing stages of their midweek win over Forest and will join Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg fracture), Mateo Kovacic (unspecified) and John Stones (foot) in the treatment room.
Phil Foden is also "not ready" to return after missing Wednesday's win due to bronchitis, while Manuel Akanji will be assessed ahead of kickoff after being withdrawn at half time against Forest with an unspecified problem that he has been 'struggling a lot' with over the last few months.
The potential absence of both Ake and Akanji could see Josko Gvardiol moved back into central defence or 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey handed a start alongside Ruben Dias, with Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis operating as full-backs.
Guardiola will weigh up whether to hand De Bruyne his second start in the space of four days alongside fellow midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish, while goalkeeper Stefan Ortega could start for the third consecutive game at the expense of Ederson.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Savinho, Haaland, Doku
We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City
Man City may have kept a clean sheet in midweek, but they still look vulnerable at the back and Crystal Palace will fancy their chances of making the net ripple, as they have scored multiple goals on six occasions against Guardiola's side since his arrival at the club in 2016 - only Tottenham (nine) have done so on more occasions in that period.
However, if the Citizens can reproduce their confident display from midweek and have the likes of De Bruyne pulling the strings from midfield, we can see the visitors coming away from Selhurst Park with maximum points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
