Manchester City will endeavour to keep the pressure on Premier League title rivals Arsenal when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.
While the Citizens have won four of their last five top-flight matches, the Eagles are still searching for their first victory in 2023.
Match preview
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New Year's Eve of 2022 was the last time that Crystal Palace celebrated victory in any competition – beating Bournemouth 2-0 on the road – and Patrick Vieira's men have since endured a 10-game winless run, including four defeats and five draws in their last nine Premier League matches.
Following three successive draws against Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Liverpool, the Eagles suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend, courtesy of a Joachim Andersen own goal just before the half-hour mark.
Cheick Doucoure's two yellow cards within the space of five second-half minutes did not help their cause, and Palace ended the contest without registering a single shot on target for the second consecutive match.
Vieira's goal-shy side have now suffered 10 Premier League defeats this season and although they currently sit 12th in the table, the threat of a relegation dogfight is looming as they are only five points above the bottom three, albeit with a game in hand on 18th-placed Everton.
Hopes of claiming three valuable points on Saturday may be slim for Palace, but they have frustrated opponents at Selhurst Park over the last two months, drawing each of their last four home league games, all of which against teams currently placed inside the top eight.
The Eagles played out a goalless draw in their last home meeting with Man City, but that stalemate extended their winless home run against the Citizens to seven matches since a 2-1 victory back in April 2015.
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After missing a plethora of chances in frustrating 1-1 draws with Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig, Man City have since rediscovered their goalscoring groove, netting nine times in their last three matches.
Back-to-back away victories over Bournemouth (4-1) and Bristol City (3-0) were followed by a routine 2-0 home win over Newcastle United last weekend, with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva striking either side of half time to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven games.
Pep Guardiola's men were temporarily sitting just two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal following their lunchtime win over the Magpies, before the Gunners came from two goals down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 a few hours later, with Reiss Nelson netting a dramatic 97th-minute winner to ensure the gap at the summit remains five points heading into the final 12 games of the season.
Man City head into Saturday's contest with a respectable away record of seven wins, three draws and three defeats from 13 Premier League games, with only Arsenal claiming more points on the road so far this season. However, the Citizens have already dropped more points away from home this season (15) compared with the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign (11).
Guardiola's side have failed to win three of their last six meetings with Crystal Palace, but they came out on top earlier this season at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Braut Haaland netting his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4-2 comeback triumph in August, and City will be confident of completing the double over an out-of-form Eagles outfit on Saturday.
Team News
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Crystal Palace will be without Doucoure (suspension), Sam Johnstone (calf) and Nathan Ferguson (Achilles), while Will Hughes missed training earlier this week due to illness and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Vieira is unlikely to make changes to his back four, with Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell all set to protect Vicente Guaita between the sticks.
The absence of Doucoure could see Naouirou Ahamada or James McArthur handed a start in centre-midfield alongside Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga, while Wilfried Zaha may continue as the central striker ahead of Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
As for Man City, Guardiola has a fully-fit squad at his disposal, with Foden available for selection after taking part in team training this week, despite admitting after the win over Newcastle that he suffered a recurrence of a persistent foot problem.
Kyle Walker is being investigated by Cheshire Police after footage emerged of the defender allegedly 'flashing' at a bar last week, but as things stand, the right-back is available to compete with Rico Lewis for a starting berth.
John Stones and Aymeric Laporte will be looking to build up their match fitness after returning from spells on the sidelines, and the pair will likely push Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias for a place at centre-back.
Bernardo Silva will be looking to force his way back into the first XI after scoring last weekend, while the Premier League's top scorer Haaland is set to continue as the central striker.
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Ahamada, Lokonga, Eze; Ayew, Zaha, Olise
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Bernardo, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Grealish
We say: Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City
Man City may need time to get going on Saturday as all of their previous nine Premier League goals against Crystal Palace have come in the second half, but the Citizens have already shown their prolific qualities against the Eagles by netting four in the reverse fixture seven months ago.
Vieira's men, meanwhile, are struggling to pose a threat in the final third, and while the likes of Zaha can cause City problems on their day, we expect Guardiola and co to run out comfortable winners at Selhurst Park.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
