The Eagles came away from the Etihad Stadium in last season’s fixture with a 2-0 victory after City were reduced to ten men before half-time.
Patrick Vieira’s side were the only team to prevent us from scoring in the Premier League last season, while they have avoided defeat at the Etihad in three of their last six visits in the English top flight.
Guardiola is under no illusions that Palace will pose a similar threat once again in Saturday’s 15:00 (UK) kick-off, but insists his players are excited for the challenge.
Next Fixture
All fixturesPremier League
BST
“That shows how good they are, under Roy Hodgson and now Patrick Vieira,” the boss said of the visitors’ record at the Etihad Stadium.
“They have an incredible amount of quality and from nothing can create something.
“We have to be aware and not do mistakes because they defend their box really well, have good set pieces and good transitions.
“With [Wilfried] Zaha, [Eberechi] Eze and [Odsonne] Edouard they have weapons and experienced players in the middle.
“Hopefully, we can break them and win the game.
“They drew at Anfield a few weeks ago. It’s a tough side. We know it.
“It’s a good challenge. We’re looking forward to it.”
City’s last Premier League outing saw us overturn a two-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with a resurgent Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
Guardiola’s men had taken an early lead through Ilkay Gundogan, but needed an Erling Haaland snapshot and clinical Bernardo Silva finish to claim a point in the north east.
And while the boss would have preferred a clean sheet, he pointed out that the competitive nature of the Premier League means conceding goals can be inevitable.
CITY+ | SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
He said: “Of course I don’t want to concede, but I’m not concerned.
“The Premier League is the Premier League. It’s really tough.
“All the teams have weapons and can do really well.”
