Match Result: Crystal Palace v Manchester City
Crystal Palace are hovering around the 4.00 mark to win this Sunday afternoon clash. That implies that they have a 25% probability of landing three points, with Oliver Glasner's side only winning two of their seven clashes at Selhurst Park. They have come against Liverpool and Brentford, although there have been four encounters that have ended all square.
The Eagles have been held by Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Brighton. They also looked leg-weary when losing 2-1 at home to Manchester United and that came after a European defeat by the same scoreline in Strasbourg. However, there have since been away victories against Burnley and Fulham.
Glasner is likely to have rested players for a trip to Shelbourne, with Manchester City arriving in rude health. Following defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle, there have been three straight wins against Leeds, Fulham and Sunderland. Pep Guardiola's side have bagged eleven goals across those games and they're outscoring teams each time.
Finding a way to win has been an art form under Guardiola, with the bookies suggesting that they have a roughly 55% chance of being successful in this clash. However, the north-west side have only won three of their seven clashes on the road. The fact that they have scored thirty-five goals across fifteen matches is a big reason to consider that they could come away with a victory here.
Neither side are too affected by the African Cup of Nations in terms of player departures. A draw would certainly suit Palace more and they are capable of holding any team at Selhurst Park. This looks the value play considering that City will have had a tough game and trip to the Bernanbeu only days previously.
Goals Under/Over
The Premier League betting sites make Over 2.5 Goals a probability at Selhurst Park. There's a 60% chance that three or more will be scored in this Palace v City clash, although there have only been sixteen goals registered across the seven Palace home games. Oliver Glasner's side are robust from a defensive point-of-view although they often struggle to break down deep-lying defences.
On the flip side, there have been twenty-three goals notched over seven Manchester City away games. This is an average of more than three and we can also note some of the recent matches involving the Cityzens. Not only has the goal count exceeded the 2.5 line in the previous three encounters, there was a crazy 5-4 success at Fulham after being pegged back to 2-2 against Leeds only to claim a late winner. With both defences potentially leg-weary, we could see a reasonable goal count.
BTTS
The last three times that Manchester City took to the road, both teams have found the net. There was a 3-1 EFL Cup success away to Swansea before a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle. That was followed by a game at Craven Cottage where the north-west side managed five goals despite only having four shots on target. Fulham had six on target and found the net four times.
The bookies think BTTS Yes is a likely outcome and is trading at around the 1.61 mark. At the time of writing, three of the past four Palace matches have seen both teams find the net. Interestingly, they have all finished with a 2-1 scoreline. This is a repeat of the 2025 FA Cup final where Palace were able to land a 1-0 success, although the two EPL meetings last term saw both teams find the net.
Indeed, the previous four top-flight showdowns have also seen this outcome. Back in April, Manchester City claimed a 5-2 success and that came after a 2-2 December draw at Selhurst Park. In April 2024, City won 4-2 at Selhurst and we could put an argument forward for BTTS Yes and Over 3.5 Goals based on the previous trends.
First Goalscorer
Jean-Phillipe Mateta has scored seven Premier League goals this season, although the Frenchman has only managed one since the beginning of November. The 28-year-old has also been getting hooked around the hour mark in recent clashes, although he's on penalties for Palace and still the most likely player to score.
It was Eddie Nketiah who bagged the opener at Craven Cottage when the Eagles claimed a 2-1 success last weekend, while Marc Guehi demonstrated his aerial ability when scoring a late winner. Yeremy Pino has been a star for the team this term and the 23-year-old has bagged three goals this season.
Erling Haaland has been a goal machine this season although the Norwegian has drawn a couple of recent blanks. At the time of writing, he's found the net in just one of his previous five games, having previously scored in practically every game of the season before then. On the flip side, Phil Foden now has five goals in his previous three and could be the player upon which to hang your hat.
The England man could be flanked by Ryan Cherki who is earning rave reviews, while Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol were both on the scoresheet in a recent encounter against Sunderland.