Manchester City and Crystal Palace will aim to continue their unbeaten runs when they face off at the Etihad on Saturday.

The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 32. The latest round of fixtures starts with a lunchtime kick-off at the Etihad, with Manchester City vs Crystal Palace pitting two European hopefuls with each other.

Manchester City will meekly surrender the Premier League title this season after struggling for momentum and consistency for most of the 2024/25 campaign. Rodri’s season-ending knee injury has derailed the Citizens’ campaign, and the reigning Premier League champions are 21 points behind the table-topping Liverpool.

With Pep Guardiola’s men also bowing out of the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup is the only avenue for Manchester City to win a trophy this season. On the other hand, Crystal Palace made a horrendous start to the 2024/25 campaign, with many questioning whether Oliver Glasner’s honeymoon period was over at Selhurst Park.

However, the Eagles have been one of the best teams in the Premier League since Gameweek 12, as they have lost only three of their subsequent 18 top-flight matches. The stupendous run of form has handed the South London club a glimmer of hope, as they are ten points behind fifth-placed Newcastle United. So, Crystal Palace will hope for teams above them to collapse in the coming weeks.

The reverse fixture saw Manchester City twice come from a goal down to hold Crystal Palace to a 2-2 draw. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester City manager will be bereft of the services of as many as five first-team players vs Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Erling Haaland (ankle) and Rodri (knee) are the most notable absentees. Meanwhile, Manuel Akanji (groin) is closing in on returning to action, while Nathan Ake (foot) and John Stones (hamstring) will not come back before next month.

Ederson Moraes should take his spot between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline will likely feature Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly. However, O’Reilly will drop to the bench if Abdukodir Khusanov starts.

As for the midfield unit, Ilkay Gundogan should pair up with Nico Gonzalez in the double pivot. Kevin De Bruyne will reprise the no. 10 role, with Savinho and Jeremy Doku being the two wide attackers. Finally, Omar Marmoush will lead the line for Manchester City against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gundogan, Gonzalez; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Marmoush

Crystal Palace

Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester City dugout, Oliver Glasner has new roster issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Etihad. The Crystal Palace manager might be without as many as six first-team players on Saturday.

Marc Guehi and Eddie Nketiah will serve suspensions after seeing red in the wild clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last week. In addition, Maxence Lacroix will likely miss out after suffering a head injury in the same game. Glasner has also been sweating over Chris Richards’s fitness, although the 25-year-old should be available. Meanwhile, Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure are recovering from long-term knee injuries.

Dean Henderson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Chris Richards, Jefferson Lerma, and Ben Chilwell.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Adam Wharton and Will Hughes, while Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell pick themselves as the wing-backs. Finally, Jean-Philippe Mateta will spearhead the Crystal Palace attack against Manchester City, with Ibrahima Sarr and Eberechi Eze providing creative support.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lerma, Chilwell; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta

Key Stats

• Manchester City have lost only one of their last 12 Premier League games vs Crystal Palace (W7 D4), going down 2-0 at home in October 2021. However, having faced a defeat in their first six Premier League away games at the Etihad, the Eagles have lost only two of their last six at Manchester City in the competition (W2 D2).
• The team opening the scoring has won only one of the five most recent Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and Manchester City (D2 L2), with the Citizens winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park in March 2023. On the three occasions the Eagles have scored first in this run, they have done so in the fourth minute of the match.
• Only Liverpool (23) have earned more points in their last ten Premier League games than Crystal Palace (22 – W7 D1 L2). The Eagles have won four of their five most recent league matches (D1) and six of their last eight away from home (D2).
• Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last ten away games in the Premier League (W6 D4); never before in their league history have they had a longer run without defeat on the road.
• Only Mohamed Salah (10) has more Premier League goals thus far in 2025 than Jean-Philippe Mateta (9). After finding the back of the net 18 times in 2024, he could become the third Crystal Palace player to manage double figures in the Premier League in successive years, along with Andrew Johnson (2004/2005) and Eberechi Eze (2023/2024).

Player to Watch

Kevin De Bruyne

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While Jean Philippe-Mateta, Eberechi Eze, and Omar Marmoush were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Kevin De Bruyne as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League game between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad.

The Belgian international has announced his impending departure from the Etihad, and he will leave a gaping hole at Manchester City. So, with only two more months left at the club, De Bruyne will be eager to bow out with a bang.

Interestingly, the veteran playmaker has an excellent record against Crystal Palace. His first-ever Premier League appearance for Manchester City came against Crystal Palace as a 25th-minute substitute in September 2015. De Bruyne has since been involved in 12 goals against the Eagles (G4 A8), only having a hand in more against Southampton in the competition (14).

Prediction

Manchester City 2-2 Crystal Palace

Splitting the two sides in this game might be improbable, considering Crystal Palace’s form. The Eagles are one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League, with only Liverpool managing more points in the last ten games. However, Manchester City’s form has improved, and they will want to give Kevin De Bruyne a rousing farewell.

So, we can expect some fireworks on both ends, with the two teams’ defensive issues coming to the fore. Ultimately, there might not be much to separate these sides, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.