Manchester City is set to face Crystal Palace this weekend in a crucial match that could see them close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Citizens have won four of their last five top-flight matches and are looking to secure another win to cut the gap to just two points. Pep Guardiola’s side will travel to London to battle Palace before Arsenal takes on Fulham, which means they cannot afford to slip up in the title race.
On the other hand, Palace is on a 10-game winless run that has included four defeats and are still waiting for their first victory of 2023. The Eagles haven’t enjoyed a home win over City since 2015 and suffered a 4-2 loss in August’s reverse meeting where Erling Haaland netted his first Premier League hat-trick.
The match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City will take place on Saturday, February 11, at the Vitality Stadium and will kick off at 5:30 pm. The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with live coverage starting from 5 pm. Sky Sports customers can live stream this via the app using their mobile, tablet, or computer devices. If not, they can purchase a Sky Sports Day Pass from NowTV for £9.99.
Updates will also be live on talkSPORT throughout the evening while talkSPORT.com will be on hand for all the best post-match reactions. To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker, and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
The hosts will be without Cheick Doucoure following his red card in the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out. Palace already has several injury concerns to contend with, as both Sam Johnstone and Nathan Ferguson remain in the treatment room. As for City, Kyle Walker is facing an investigation by Cheshire Police after he was alleged to have exposed himself in a bar but as things stand, he is fit to start. Guardiola otherwise has no other issues to contend with, as both John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have returned from injury.
Man City boss Guardiola has now broken his silence on Walker’s allegations, saying in his pre-match press conference: “This is a private issue. We solve it internally. This is not the place to talk about a private situation.” When asked if players need to be careful in public, he said: “Yeah definitely, completely different from years ago. They know it. When you open the door at home they need to know they will be filmed whatever they do. That is society.”
Bernardo Silva has scored in his last two Premier League games for Man City – only once has he scored in more consecutive top-flight matches, doing so in four in a row with Monaco in April/May 2015. Man City’s Phil Foden is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League games, previously doing so in June/July 2020 and September/October this season. He’s scored nine times in the competition so far this term and could reach double figures for the very first time.
Erling Haaland scored his first Premier League hat-trick in the reverse fixture against Crystal Palace, as Man City came from 2-0 down at half-time to win 4-2. Only Emmanuel Adebayor against Derby County in 2007-08 has ever scored two hat-tricks against an opponent in the same Premier League season.
No team has conceded fewer goals from set-piece situations in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace (5, including penalties), while the Eagles have netted a league-high share of 43% of their goals from set pieces this term (9/21). Crystal Palace has failed to register a single shot on target in more different Premier League games than any other side this season (4). They’ve not managed one in their last two matches, with no Premier League side on record failing to do so in three consecutive games before (since 2003-04).
Crystal Palace’s last four home league games have all been drawn. The Eagles last drew five straight home league matches in March 2000 in the second tier, while the last team to do so in the Premier League were Burnley in March 2021. Though they’re unbeaten in their last three away league games, Man City has already dropped more points in away Premier League games this season (15) than they did in the whole of 2021-22 (11).
Crystal Palace is winless in nine Premier League games (D5 L4), the longest ongoing run among sides currently in the competition. Indeed, no side has fewer Premier League points in 2023 than the Eagles (5, level with Bournemouth). Each of Man City’s last nine goals against Crystal Palace in the Premier League has come in the second half of games, with the Citizens failing to score in the opening 45 minutes in each of their last four against the Eagles. Crystal Palace is winless in their last seven Premier League home games against Manchester City (D2 L5), since a 2-1 win in April 2015. They’ve failed to score in five of these seven games, including each of the last three.