Match Information
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Match Overview
Crystal Palace host Manchester City at Selhurst Park in Regular Season - 2, with both sides looking to build momentum after contrasting starts to the Premier League campaign. This early-season meeting carries weight beyond the three points, given where each club currently sits in the table.
The league positions frame this match sharply. Crystal Palace sit 17th, while Manchester City are 6th, a gap that reflects both teams' opening results. Palace lost 2-0 away to Everton on August 22 in their Regular Season - 1 fixture, while Manchester City opened with a 2-1 home win over Bournemouth on August 23. For Pierre Sage's side, this represents an opportunity to arrest an early slide before it becomes a pattern, while City will look to build on their winning start against a Palace side still searching for their first points on the board.
Recent form tells contrasting stories. Palace's form line shows defensive fragility, having conceded in their Everton defeat and shipped three in a 3-0 friendly loss to SC Freiburg on August 15. Manchester City, by contrast, arrive with a competitive edge from their August 9 friendly win over Atletico Madrid and a solid response in their Premier League opener, though their August 16 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal showed there is room for sharpening.
Squad availability is not a complicating factor here, with no injuries reported for either club, meaning both managers can select from full-strength options. That places greater emphasis on the head-to-head record, which has heavily favored Manchester City in recent seasons, including a 3-0 win in May 2026 and a 3-0 victory in December 2025.
With Palace needing a response at home and City looking to consolidate an early lead over their hosts in the table, this fixture offers a clear early-season form checkpoint for both clubs.
Predicted Lineups
Crystal Palace
D. Henderson; J. Canvot, C. Richards, C. Riad; D. Munoz, A. Wharton, D. Kamada, T. Mitchell; D. McNeil, E. Nketiah, J. Mateta
Manchester City
G. Donnarumma; R. Aït-Nouri, Rúben Dias, J. Gvardiol, R. Lewis; M. Kovačić, P. Foden; R. Cherki, J. Grealish, Sávio; E. Haaland
Team Form Analysis
Crystal Palace
League Position: 17Crystal Palace Form Analysis
Crystal Palace's build-up to this fixture shows a team still finding its rhythm. Their Premier League opener ended in a 2-0 away defeat to Everton on August 22, offering no goals and a clean sheet conceded at the other end. Preceding that, their pre-season friendlies were mixed: a 3-0 loss to SC Freiburg on August 15 exposed defensive vulnerabilities against strong opposition, though a 2-1 away win over Fulham on August 7 showed some attacking promise. In the Como Cup, Palace beat Al Ula 3-1 on July 31 and drew 0-0 with Famalicao on July 28, suggesting they can find the net against lesser opposition but have struggled for consistency against stronger sides. Across this run, defensive solidity has been the primary concern, with multiple matches featuring goals conceded, while the attack has flashed intermittently rather than consistently. Sitting 17th in the table, Palace will need marked improvement at both ends to change their early-season trajectory.
Manchester City
League Position: 6Manchester City Form Analysis
Manchester City's recent form reflects a team building toward peak sharpness with some notable bumps along the way. Their Premier League opener produced a 2-1 home win over Bournemouth on August 23, a positive start that lifted them to 6th in the table. That followed a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield final on August 16, a result that will have offered lessons without denting league momentum. Their pre-season friendlies showed attacking fluency, including a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid on August 9 and a 3-1 away win against K-League Stars on August 5, though a 1-1 draw with Inter on August 1 tempered that run. Overall, City have shown they can score goals freely against a range of opposition, and their competitive Premier League win suggests they are translating that form into league points. Their capacity to bounce back from the Community Shield setback with a league win will be an encouraging sign heading into this fixture.
Head-to-Head
Crystal Palace
Manchester City
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-13 | Manchester City | 3 - 0 | Crystal Palace |
| 2025-12-14 | Crystal Palace | 0 - 3 | Manchester City |
| 2025-05-17 | Crystal Palace | 1 - 0 | Manchester City |
| 2025-04-12 | Manchester City | 5 - 2 | Crystal Palace |
| 2024-12-07 | Crystal Palace | 2 - 2 | Manchester City |
| 2024-04-06 | Crystal Palace | 2 - 4 | Manchester City |
| 2023-12-16 | Manchester City | 2 - 2 | Crystal Palace |
| 2023-03-11 | Crystal Palace | 0 - 1 | Manchester City |
| 2022-08-27 | Manchester City | 4 - 2 | Crystal Palace |
| 2022-03-14 | Crystal Palace | 0 - 0 | Manchester City |
Memorable Matches
The history between these two clubs has produced some striking scorelines. On April 12, 2025, Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 5-2, a match that showcased City's attacking firepower even against a determined Palace side. Just months earlier, on December 7, 2024, the two sides shared a thrilling 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park, with Palace showing they could match City goal for goal on their own turf. Going back further, Palace claimed a notable 1-0 win over City on May 17, 2025, a result that stood out given City's typical dominance in this fixture. These matches highlight that while City have generally held the upper hand, Palace have shown moments of real resistance.
We explore the matchup further in our match insights for Crystal Palace vs Manchester City.
Venue Factor
Selhurst Park has long been considered one of the more atmospheric venues in the Premier League, with the home crowd's proximity to the pitch often cited as a factor that lifts Palace's players during difficult periods. For Manchester City, travelling to Selhurst Park has historically produced mixed results based on the head-to-head record, including a 2-2 draw there on December 7, 2024, showing Palace's capability to trouble City on home soil. With Palace currently sitting 17th and in need of a response after their August 22 defeat to Everton, the home support's role in generating early pressure and energy could be significant. For City, silencing a vocal home crowd early would be an important psychological marker as they look to build on their Premier League opening win.
Injury Concerns
Crystal Palace
No injuries reported
Manchester City
