The Eagles travel to the Etihad bidding to break the 30 point barrier before January is out which would be quite a milestone in a season that has been questioned by many in terms of performances and progress.
DATE
18th January 2020
KICK OFF
3pm
VENUE
Etihad Stadium, Ashton New Road, Manchester M11 3FF
LAST TIME
Who can forget the last time these two sides met at the Etihad? Palace were not given a hope of returning to South London with a result particularly when the hosts took the lead just before the half hour through Ilkay Gundogan. It only took the Eagles six minutes to get themselves level thanks to Jeffrey Schlupp and had the sheer audacity to take the lead before the interval with THAT wonder goal from Andros Townsend. Even then, everyone thought the second half would be one way traffic but Luka Milivojevic increased the lead from the spot which gave Palace fans belief that they would be getting something from the game. Despite a goal back by Kevin de Bruyne late in the game, they were quite right as all three points were secured by the side from Selhurst.
OFFICIALS
REFEREE – Graham Scott
ASSISTANTS – Neil Davies, Derek Eaton, Jeremy Simpson (fourth official)
VAR – John Brooks, Adam Nunn (assistant)
INJURIES
PALACE – Mamadou Sakho, Joel Ward, Jeffrey Schlupp, Andros Townsend, Christian Benteke, Max Meyer, Patrick van Aanholt
CITY – Leroy Sane, Aymeric Laporte
SUSPENSIONS
Luka Milivojevic
DISCIPLINE
Red cards – Mamadou Sakho, Luka Milivojevic, Ederson, Fernandinho
Yellow cards (4+) – Luka Milivojevic (8), Ilkay Gundogan (7), Bernardo Silva (5), Fernandinho (4), Raheem Sterling (4), Rodrigo (4), James McCarthy (4)
FORM GUIDE
Last FIVE meetings between the two sides;
- 19/10/2019 Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City
- 14/04/2019 Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City
- 22/12/2018 Manchester City 2-3 Crystal Palace
- 31/12/2017 Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City
- 23/09/2017 Manchester City 5-0 Crystal Palace
Last FIVE results for Palace;
- 11/01/2020 Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal
- 05/01/2020 Crystal Palace 0-1 Derby County
- 01/01/2020 Norwich City 1-1 Crystal Palace
- 28/12/2019 Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace
- 26/12/2019 Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham United
Last FIVE results for City;
- 12/01/2020 Aston Villa 1-6 Manchester City
- 07/01/2020 Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City
- 04/01/2020 Manchester City 4-1 Port Vale
- 01/01/2020 Manchester City 2-1 Everton
- 29/12/2019 Manchester City 2-0 Sheffield United
RECORD AGAINST MANCHESTER CITY
- Played 62
- Won 16
- Drawn 13
- Lost 33
FORM PLAYERS
Top two rated players from each team so far this season according to Who Scored;
- Kevin de Bruyne 7.96
- Riyad Mahrez 7.72
- Wilfried Zaha 7.14
- Jordan Ayew 7.00
ONE TO WATCH
RIYAD MAHREZ
Former clubs – AAS Sarcelles, Quimper, Le Harve, Leicester City
The Algerian winger has seen plenty of game time this season and is in good form ahead of the visit of Palace this weekend. He joined City in July 2018 at a time when they did not particularly need him and that is perhaps why he has struggled to hold down a first team place with the number of talented attacking players already at the club. Mahrez captained Algeria to their first AFCON triumph since 1990.
KEY CLASH
JAIRO RIEDEWALD v RIYAD MAHREZ
The make shift left back for Palace had a very good game against Arsenal last weekend but going up against City and their multitude of talents will be the ultimate test. The young Dutchman is likely to be up against the in form Mahrez who grabbed a double in a demoliton of Villa at the weekend and are firing on all cylinders going into this match up. Here’s hoping Jairo has an equally good game this weekend.
PRE-GAME STATS
- Top passers – Rodrigo Hernandez (1,474), Fernandinho (1,369)
- City have won 27 of their last 31 league games at home
- Top scorers – Sergio Aguero (13), Raheem Sterling (11)
- Palace have drawn their last 3 league matches
- Top assists – Kevin de Bruyne (14), Riyad Mahrez (7), David Silva (7)
- Top tackles – James McArthur (49), Luka Milivojevic (43)
PREDICTION
While Palace are proving a tough side to beat at the moment, the City machine could well have oiled it’s wheels against Villa last weekend and while this will not likely be a similar scoreline, the result will be a win for the reigning Champions. Let’s face facts, they have a battle on their hands for second place this season let alone the title. They will not have it all their own way as Palace will provide problems on the counter but the hosts will be very wary of that after last season. If the Eagles manage to score first though, there could be a few nervous home fans watching on.
Final score: 2-1 to City
OPPOSITION VIEW
Ahead of the trip to the Etihad, we had a chat with the guys at 1894 Group about the season so far, this match up and much more.
BETTING ODDS
- Home – 1/12
- Draw – 9/1
- Away – 20/1
- Both teams to score – 6/5
