Crystal Palace will look to claim their first Premier League points of the season when they welcome Manchester City to Selhurst Park on Friday evening.
Pierre Sage’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Everton on the opening weekend, while Manchester City began Enzo Maresca’s league tenure with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth. The visitors will therefore arrive in south London looking to make it two wins from two, but Palace will take confidence from their ability to create chances despite losing at Everton.
Crystal Palace vs Man City Match preview
Palace’s opening-day defeat was harsher than the scoreline suggested. The Eagles created 1.96 expected goals and four big chances at Everton, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah among those unable to convert opportunities. Sage will therefore be encouraged by the attacking output, even though his side ultimately left Hill Dickinson Stadium empty-handed.
The bigger challenge now is converting that attacking promise against Manchester City. Palace have won only one of their last 10 meetings with City in all competitions, although that victory came in the 2025 FA Cup final. City won both Premier League meetings last season by 3-0 scorelines, including their most recent visit to Selhurst Park.
Manchester City also have plenty to improve despite beginning the campaign with three points. Bournemouth led for most of the opening game before Marc Guéhi equalised in the 84th minute and Joško Gvardiol completed the turnaround in stoppage time. City had created several opportunities before then, but their performance lacked the control associated with the best Guardiola-era sides.
Maresca is still introducing his ideas after succeeding Pep Guardiola, and Friday’s game will provide another indication of how quickly his new system is taking shape. City also have several players adjusting to new roles, including Guéhi, who operated in midfield against Bournemouth before potentially returning to central defence at Selhurst Park.
For Palace, the home fixture offers an opportunity to improve on a difficult opening result without facing the same pressure to dominate possession. Their most promising route may be through quick attacks involving Mateta, Nketiah and the attacking midfielders, particularly if City’s full-backs push high.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City team news
Palace will be without Ismaïla Sarr and Chadi Riad. Sage confirmed that Sarr is still recovering from a groin problem, while Riad remains sidelined with a knee injury. Axel Disasi, who joined on loan earlier this week, is available but is not expected to immediately displace the established defensive options.
The main selection question concerns the back three, with Chris Richards and Jaydee Canvot expected to feature alongside either Óscar Mingueza or Takehiro Tomiyasu. Dean Henderson is expected to continue in goal.
Manchester City will be without Jérémy Doku because of a calf injury. Maresca has confirmed that Elliot Anderson, Nico O’Reilly and new signing Ayyoub Bouaddi are fit to face Palace, while Matheus Nunes has also returned to the squad after recovering from a knock.
Rayan Cherki is pushing for a starting place after playing a major role in City’s comeback against Bournemouth, while Haaland is expected to lead the attack. Guéhi could move back into defence after his midfield experiment last weekend.
Crystal Palace vs Man City Predicted lineups
Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson; Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards, Óscar Mingueza; Daniel Muñoz, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Dwight McNeil, Eddie Nketiah; Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Manchester City: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Rico Lewis, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Joško Gvardiol; Elliot Anderson, Nico O’Reilly; Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo; Erling Haaland.
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
Kick-off: 8pm BST / 12:30am IST
Venue: Selhurst Park, London
UK TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League
India: JioHotstar
The match is also available through Sky Sports’ streaming services in the UK. ESPN lists JioHotstar as the Indian broadcaster.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction
Palace have enough attacking threat to cause problems for City, particularly if they can reproduce the chance creation from their defeat at Everton. The hosts should also benefit from playing at Selhurst Park, where the atmosphere can make life difficult for visiting sides.
City nevertheless have considerably greater depth in the attacking areas. Haaland, Foden, Cherki and Semenyo give Maresca several different ways of breaking down Palace’s defensive structure, while the visitors have already demonstrated their ability to recover from difficult positions.
Palace should be competitive for long periods, but City’s greater quality should eventually make the difference.
Our prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City.
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