Crystal Palace - Manchester City predictions and free betting tips [06/04/2024]

On Saturday, 6th April, as part of the 32nd round of the Premier League, Crystal Palace will host Manchester City on their home ground. Last week, the “citizens” crushed Aston Villa with a score of 4:1, while the "eagles" conceded to Bournemouth on Vitality (1:0) and positioned themselves in the lower part of the league table. 

Predicted Lineups

Crystal Palace: Henderson; Ward, Andersen, Lerma; Muñoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Ayew, Mateta, Eze.

Manchester City: Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Guardiola; Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland. 

Crystal Palace

Occupying the 14th place in the Premier League table with one game in hand and eight points clear of the relegation zone, Crystal Palace has a good chance of avoiding relegation. However, in recent weeks, the "eagles" are clearly in crisis: out of their last eight rounds, they have only managed to beat Burton Albion (3:0), drawing three times and losing four times. After getting a draw against Luton Town (1:1) and Nottingham Forest (1:1) last week, Oliver Glasner's men capitulated to Bournemouth (1:0) - the game was decided by a goal from Justin Kluivert at the 79th minute of the match. Crystal Palace, having won just one out of their first nine home games this campaign, have accumulated 10 points in their last five matches at Selhurst Park. In addition, fans of the London team must be pleased about the fact that in only one out of nine previous rounds their favourites have left the field without scoring.

The Eagles' calendar is indeed tight: in April they are scheduled to play against City, Liverpool, West Ham, Newcastle, and Fulham away ... This weekend, the red and blues will miss a few key players due to injuries, including Johnstone (goalkeeper), Guehi (defender) and Cheikhou Kouyaté (midfielder), Holding and young midfielders Matheus Franco and Rak-Sakyi are also out. In addition, the participation in the match of Ollie Watkins (6 goals and 3 assists) is not guaranteed, so the attacking trio will consist of Mateta (6 goals and 4 assists), Eze (6 goals and 2 assists), and Jordan Ayew (4 goals and 6 assists). In the last round, Jefferson Lerma played as a left central defender in Richard’s absence, and he's set to continue in this role alongside Joachim Andersen and Joel Ward, with Will Hughes and Adam Wharton providing midfield support. 

Manchester City

The reigning champion of the country, Manchester City, currently holds the third place in the Premier League table, one point behind the leading Liverpool. The “citizens” have gained an extraordinary momentum and have not lost any of their last 15 matches (11 wins and 4 draws), however, in head-to-head confrontations with two direct competitors for the title, Pep Guardiola's charges had to settle for a draw. In March, Manchester City had a 1:1 draw with Liverpool at Etihad, and last weekend, they had a 0:0 draw with Arsenal. This week, the Mancunians resumed their winning course by defeating Aston Villa with a comfortable 4:1 victory. Nahitan Nández responded to Rodri's early goal, but Phil Foden had a hat-trick, extending his total to 21 goals for the season. City ranks second in away games (29 points in 15 away matches).

Next Tuesday, the team will travel to Madrid for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, therefore Guardiola may opt for squad rotation. The Sky Blues' squad still misses key defenders Walker and Ake, as well as first-choice goalkeeper Ederson; they are injured. Erling Haaland (18 goals) was left on the bench during the match against Aston Villa, but should return to the starting XI this Saturday; the same goes for playmaker De Bruyne (5 assists in 10 matches). Rodri (7 goals and 6 assists) and Phil Foden (14 goals and 7 assists) will ensure solidity in the midfield, while the back four will consist of Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and João Cancelo; German Ortega will occupy the place in the goal. 

Head to Head

In each of their last four home games against the “citizens”, the "eagles" failed to register a goal. This makes the draw that the Londoners earned at the Etihad in the first round of the current season (2:2) all the more surprising. 

Crystal Palace - Manchester City match prediction

“City” is expected to be battling for the championship title and simply cannot afford a misstep, whereas “Palace” are comfortably middle of the table. The "citizens" thrive away from home and in the second half of the season have been racking up away victories like clockwork, although blowouts have been infrequent. Given that Guardiola's squad will aim to conserve their energy ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash, a smart bet would be Crystal Palace +2.