Last updated & checked: 24/02/2022
Of all the fixtures left in the 2018/19 Premier League, few have as clear a favourite as this one. And there are few prizes for guessing who we are talking about. That’s not a knock on Crystal Palace: they’ve impressed against Leicester recently and before that, we’ve seen sparks against the likes of Arsenal and Burnley.
However, they are up against the defending champions who are desperate to regain their spot at the top of the Premier League standings following a loss to Chelsea and being displaced by Liverpool. While you could argue that shows their vulnerabilities, we think that to the detriment of the Eagles, it might just make them more determined.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace Prediction: Man City 3-0 Palace
We’ve already made it clear that City are far and away the favourites to win this match. Do we agree? To put it bluntly, yes.
While a Crystal Palace win or a draw isn’t out of the question, Manchester City – especially at home – simply look too strong to lose here. As a quick example of why this is, the Eagles recently lost 3-2 to West Ham. In comparison, when Manchester City faced up against the same team, they walked away with an easy 4-0 win. That’s just a snapshot of the difference between how these two teams have performed so far this season.
We think City are going to win and win in a strong fashion to send a message to Liverpool. Therefore, our prediction is for this match is a 3-0 result to the home side.
Our recommended tip: Man City clean sheet
The defending champions clearly have the advantage here, with the stats giving the home side an 84% win probability to Crystal Palace’s 5%. Therefore, a Manchester City victory is a very safe bet to make and Ladbrokes are advertising match odds of 2/15. If you compare this to Crystal Palace’s match odds of 22/1, it becomes clear what the most likely outcome here will be. Those wanting to back the favourites but with a higher potential ROI can predict that they will win to nil to get odds of 5/6.
Previous matches
The biggest source of hope for many Crystal Palace fans will no doubt be their last encounter. Keep in mind that this was during City’s legendary 100 point season, in the midst of a winning streak, at the absolute top of their game, so there are no excuses for the result. And well, it wasn’t a victory, but when the Eagles fought Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in 2017, it shocked the world and elated Palace fans.
Unfortunately, their history before that tells a different story. City have long undefeated stretches against Crystal Palace, winning seven games in a row between 2015 and 2017, and 2001 through to 2014. Overall, the history books clearly favour City.
Top 3 Premier League Bookies
Players to watch: Raheem Sterling & Luka Milivojević
Manchester City: Raheem Sterling
With an all-star team like Manchester City, it’s always tough to pick a player to watch. However, we think on this occasion, one in particular to keep on eye on is the brilliant Raheem Sterling. Of course, you could argue that is always the case with this magnificent midfielder, but after that penalty miss against Leicester on Tuesday and with the added fire of being displaced by Liverpool, we’re hoping for some more magic to come from Sterling in City’s pursuit to get back on top.
Crystal Palace: Luka Milivojević
Often when it comes to players to watch, you want to pick out a lesser known star with hopes they’ll showcase their potential with a brilliant performance. And while, of course, we still hope that is the case, Manchester City are a pretty rough side to break out against. We think against a team like City, you need someone already at the top of their game and for Crystal Palace, that someone is midfielder Luka Milivojević. He showed against Everton recently that he’s exactly what his side need to overcome these odds.
