After an indifferent few weeks, Manchester City make the trip to Selhurst Park on Monday evening aware that three points are a must if they want to remain competitive in the Premier League title race.
However, they won't find it easy against a Crystal Palace outfit who have been superb since the arrival of Alan Pardew at the turn of the year.
Crystal Palace
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When Alan Pardew jumped at the chance to join Crystal Palace earlier this season, he would have expected an improvement from his squad heading into the second half of the campaign, but perhaps not to the extent they have produced over the past three months.
Retaining the club's Premier League status was Pardew's main priority, but 13 games into his tenure, the Eagles now have a realistic chance of securing 11th place by the middle of May.
Nineteen points have been recorded in their last 10 league games, a streak only bettered by the top teams in the division, and three wins from their last four outings have opened up an 11-point gap above the relegation zone.
Before the international break, Palace eased to a 3-1 triumph at home to Queens Park Rangers before they secured a terrific 2-1 victory away at Stoke City, their fifth away success of the campaign.
The form of striker Glenn Murray has been a bonus for Pardew. After firing Palace to promotion, the 31-year-old was hit by a serious knee injury, but a successful loan spell at Reading has helped Murray regain his form in front of goal with four goals coming in his last four outings.
Winger Wilfried Zaha has also weighed in with two goals in as many games, and if the pair can keep finding the back of the net, the club could even make a late bid to crack the top 10.
Recent form: DLWLDD
Manchester City
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It's often said that defending your title is much harder than winning it, and that theory has proven to be the case for Manchester City in the Premier League since the start of 2015.
A four-game winless streak piled the pressure on Manuel Pellegrini's men and although they have managed to keep in touch with Chelsea, they still look unconvincing even against the weaker sides in the division.
A 2-0 win over Leicester City didn't tell the whole story, but a 1-0 loss at Burnley did, although City had every reason to be frustrated after the failure to earn a penalty during the latter stages.
A comfortable 3-0 success over West Bromwich Albion was aided by an early sending-off, but it paved the way for Wilfried Bony to net his first goal for the club since joining from Swansea City.
The Ivorian is under pressure to justify his price tag at the Etihad Stadium, but with Sergio Aguero currently struggling for goals, City need their new signing to quickly find his feet at his new club.
Defensive concerns have eased over the past month, with three clean sheets being recorded in five games, but a vibrant Palace attack will threaten the stability of a backline who need an improved performance from captain Vincent Kompany.
Recent form: WWLWLW
Recent form (all competitions): LLWLLW
Team News
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Palace manager Alan Pardew is expected to place trust in the same starting lineup that began the match against Stoke City before the international break.
It could be a similar story for City, who have reported no new injury concerns ahead of the trip to London, but James Milner will be pushing for a start if he has fully recovered from a niggling injury.
Fernandinho or Yaya Toure could potentially replace Frank Lampard in the heart of midfield should Manuel Pellegrini opt for a change to his team.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Speroni, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Ledley, McArthur, Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie, Murray
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy; Navas, Fernando, Toure, Silva; Bony, Aguero
Head To Head
Palace may be one of the form sides in the Premier League at the moment, but their recent record against Manchester City is one that they should probably keep quiet about.
City have prevailed on the last seven occasions that the two teams have met, a record stretching all the way back to 2001, while Palace have failed to score in their last four games with Monday night's visitors.
The reverse fixture took place in December, where two goals from David Silva and a late Yaya Toure effort were enough to earn City a routine win at the Etihad Stadium.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City
As we have already mentioned, Crystal Palace have been impressive in recent weeks, but perhaps surprisingly, they have earned more points on the road, and against a Manchester City outfit who have won eight matches on their travels this season, we think the defending Premier League champions will edge this fixture.
Darren Plant
