Manchester City must beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday night to keep the Premier League title race alive.
Arsenal responded to City’s 3–0 defeat of Brentford by taking a significant step towards glory on Sunday afternoon, even if their slender win over West Ham United was marred in controversy.
The desperate Hammers thought they’d emboldened their own survival hopes while improving City’s chances when Callum Wilson crashed home a stoppage-time equalizer. However, the striker‘s goal was ruled out for Pablo’s perceived foul on David Raya during a set-piece-induced melee in the Arsenal box.
As a result, the Gunners’ lead was restored to five points with so little time in the 2025–26 season remaining. City can trim that deficit to two with a midweek victory, but they’re going to need either the relegated Burnley or a Conference League final-prioritizing Palace to do them a massive favor in Arsenal’s final two fixtures.
The Eagles are merely playing for an improved position in the bottom half of the table domestically, yet they were still able to hinder Everton’s European ambitions by stealing two points off the Toffees at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Man City vs. Crystal Palace Score Prediction
Cityzens Get the Job Done
After the chaos of last Monday night, Manchester City rediscovered their vintage serenity at the weekend when European hopefuls Brentford visited the Etihad Stadium. They hoped their comfortable win would have unnerved Arsenal, but the universe is seemingly pushing the Gunners to a first league title in 22 years.
All City can do here is win out the season and hope the north Londoners encounter an unlikely banana skin. The existential threat of relegation always meant West Ham were City’s most probable source of aid, but Arsenal still have to go to Selhurst Park on the final day.
Palace certainly didn’t look distracted at the weekend, and Oliver Glasner will want high standards to be maintained up until they face Rayo Vallecano with European silverware at stake. Thus, this could be a potentially tricky outing for the hosts, who have the FA Cup final upcoming, too.
- Man City’s Etihad record: Since losing their home opener to Tottenham Hotspur in August, Man City are unbeaten in 16 Premier League games at home, winning 13. They’ve scored twice in 14 of these outings.
- Recent head-to-head record: There was a period when Palace really troubled the Cityzens, but Pep Guardiola‘s side have won five of the previous eight Premier League meetings, drawing the other three.
- Dangerous Eagles: The carefree visitors aren’t playing for much, but they typically play without fear at the Etihad. Palace have scored at least twice on their previous four trips and have also won the third most away games in the Premier League this season.
Prediction: Man City 2–1 Crystal Palace
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace
Rodri failed a late fitness test ahead of Saturday’s victory and is unlikely to be ready for a start midweek. The Spaniard will hope to be available for the FA Cup final, having suffered a groin injury in last month’s win over Arsenal, and could be in contention for minutes off the bench against Palace.
Abdukodir Khusanov has been a constant in City’s defense of late but missed the Brentford victory due to a knock he sustained on Merseyside. While the Uzbekistani hero has been pictured back in training ahead of Wednesday’s game, Khusanov may be preserved for Saturday’s final.
Rúben Dias is a contender to replace the former Lens center back in Guardiola’s team after he was named among the substitutes last time out. Dias has recovered from a thigh injury that had kept him out since mid-March.
The upcoming Wembley excursion could see Guardiola shuffle his starting lineup here, with Omar Marmoush among those rewarded for producing off the bench against Brentford.
Man City predicted lineup vs. Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Aït-Nouri; González, Silva; Savinho, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland.
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Glasner was hardly given the deepest roster to work with this season, and the management of the players he has available will be key ahead of the Conference League final on May 27.
The visitors are certainly without former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and midfielder Cheick Doucouré through injury, while January arrival Evann Guessand is a doubt. Croatia international Borna Sosa is unlikely to feature, too.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored off the bench against Everton and should start on Wednesday night, but the in-form Ismaïla Sarr is the most likely to hurt the title hopefuls. Palace’s attack could be completed by Yeremy Pino, given Brennan Johnson’s continued struggles.
What Time Does Man City vs. Crystal Palace Kick Off?
- Location: Manchester, England
- Stadium: Etihad Stadium
- Date: Wednesday, May 13
- Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
- Referee: Stuart Attwell
- VAR: John Brooks
How to Watch Man City vs. Crystal Palace on TV, Live Stream
| Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United States | USA Network |
| United Kingdom | Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League |
| Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
| Mexico | TNT Sports, Max Mexico, FOX One |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City vs. Crystal Palace: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
