We’ve got Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Oscar Bobb coming into the team in place of Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva, who all drop to the bench for the first match of Gameweek 32.
The Blues take on Oliver Glasner’s Eagles at Selhurst Park, with a 12:30 (UK) kick-off.
Haaland and De Bruyne both sat out the 4-1 victory over Unai Emery’s men but return to the first XI today alongside Stones, who was on the bench against Arsenal and Villa, after coming off injured in the 2-2 draw for England against Belgium at Wembley during the international break.
Oscar Bobb makes his first Premier League start since the 1-0 home win over Brentford in February.
Meanwhile, Ederson missed the last two top-flight matches after being forced off in the second half at Liverpool – but it’s great to see the Brazilian back in the fold as he takes his place on the substitutes bench today.
Victory for City would see us move joint top in the Premier League table – for a short time at least.
Arsenal travel to Brighton for the 17:30 (UK) clash this evening and would move back above the Blues – and into top spot - with a win. Current leaders Liverpool, the third team in the triumvirate pushing for the title, take on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, with a 15:30 (UK) start.
Selhurst Park, the site of today’s game, has been a happy hunting ground for City of late.
City are unbeaten in our last eight Premier League away games against Palace, with six wins and two draws, since a 2-1 loss in April 2015. We’ve kept six clean sheets and conceded just two goals in that run.
Here’s to more of the same today.
TEAMS
PALACE XI: Henderson, Ward, Mitchell, Lerma, Ayew, Eze, Munoz, Mateta, Anderson, Hughes, Wharton
Subs: Matthews, Tomkins, Olise, Schlupp, Clyne, Edouard, Ahamada, Ozoh, Umeh-Chibueze
CITY XI: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, De Bruyne (c), Bobb, Alvarez, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ederson, Kovacic, Doku, Bernardo, Gomez, Akanji, Nunes, Foden, Susoho
TACTICS
Stefan Ortega Moreno is between between the posts and he’s supported by a four-man defence of Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol.
Rodrigo will anchor the midfield with Kevin De Bruyne while Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez will be supporting Erling Haaland in attack.
STRENGTH IN DEPTH
Today’s line-up shows we have a truly talented goalkeeping department.
Ederson, our No.1 in ranking and No.31 in number, is back from injury after missing the last three matches through an injury he picked up in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola told the media in his pre-Palace press conference that the Brazilian was feeling ‘much better’ this week.
But Stefan Ortega Moreno keeps his place between the posts after a solid three-game run.
He’s conceded just one goal since replacing Ederson in the second half at Anfield and he could do little about a finely taken effort by Jhon Duran in the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa.
In between times, the German secured shutouts in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Newcastle and the 0-0 Premier League clash with Arsenal.
Scott Carson, judging by the newly-released Netflix Together: Treble Winners documentary, brings the ingredients of humility, humour and hunger to the mix, showcasing the strength in depth we have in that area of the pitch.
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MATCH STATS
-Crystal Palace came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with City in the reverse fixture in December. Only in 1992/93, 1994/95 and 2021/22 have they avoided defeat in both Premier League meetings with City in a season.
-Crystal Palace have failed to score in any of their last four Premier League home games against City, with Luka Milivojevic in April 2019 the last Eagles player to score against them at Selhurst Park.
-City have kept just one clean sheet in our last nine Premier League away games against London sides (W5 D1 L3), though that was at Crystal Palace in March last year (1-0). We had kept a clean sheet in eight of our previous 11 visits to the capital before this.
-Having won just one of their first nine Premier League home games this season (D3 L5), Crystal Palace have now won three of their last five at Selhurst Park (D1 L1). They’ve scored exactly three goals in all four of their home league wins this season.
-After a run of just one win in five Premier League away games between September and December (D2 L2), City have since won five of our last six on the road (D1). We’ve come from behind to win in four of those five victories.
-Crystal Palace managed just three shots and an xG of 0.19 against Bournemouth last time out, both lows for the Eagles in a Premier League match this season. Indeed, two of the three games they’ve had four or fewer shots this season have come under Oliver Glasner (also four vs Spurs last month).
-Eberechi Eze has netted five goals in eight home games for Crystal Palace in the Premier League this season; the last Englishman to score more at home in a top-flight campaign for the Eagles was Andrew Johnson in 2004-05 (11).
-Erling Haaland has been involved in seven goals in his last six away appearances for City in the Premier League, scoring four and assisting three. However, he’s not scored in any of his last four such games, his longest run without a goal on the road in the competition.
