Crystal Palace vs Manchester City is one of the standout fixtures of Premier League Matchweek 2, with the Eagles hosting City at Selhurst Park on Friday, August 28, 2026.
The two teams arrive with very different opening-weekend results. Manchester City started their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, while Crystal Palace were beaten 2-0 by Everton. City also hold a huge historical advantage in this matchup, with 20 wins compared with Palace’s four across the current 29-match head-to-head record.
Our Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction is a City victory, but Selhurst Park is rarely an easy place to visit. Palace have players capable of hurting City on the counter, especially if the visitors leave space behind their defensive line.
🔥 Main Pick: Manchester City to Win
🛡️ Safe Pick: Manchester City Draw No Bet
⚽ Goals Pick: Manchester City Over 1.5 Team Goals
💎 Value Pick: Manchester City to Win & Over 2.5 Goals
🎯 Predicted Score: Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Match Info
- Match: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
- Competition: Premier League
- Round: Matchweek 2
- Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
- Kick-off: 19:00 UTC / 20:00 UK
- Venue: Selhurst Park
- City: London, England
- Referee: Andy Madley
The Premier League and Manchester City both confirm the Friday night fixture and 20:00 UK kick-off at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace Recent Form
Palace arrive after a difficult few weeks.
Crystal Palace Last 5 Matches
Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace
Freiburg 3-0 Crystal Palace
Bromley 3-0 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 5-1 Swindon
Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
That means Palace have suffered three consecutive defeats without scoring heading into this match.
The 2-0 defeat against Everton was particularly disappointing because it was their first Premier League match of the new campaign.
There is still attacking quality in this side, but Palace need to rediscover it quickly.
Facing Manchester City is hardly the easiest opportunity to do that.
Manchester City Recent Form
City’s recent results have been much more encouraging.
Manchester City Last 5 Matches
Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth
Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City
Manchester City 3-1 Atlético Madrid
K-League All Stars 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City 1-1 Inter Milan
City have therefore won three of their last five matches, with one draw and one defeat.
Most importantly, they opened their Premier League season with three points.
The 2-1 victory against Bournemouth was not completely comfortable, but getting the result matters at this stage of the campaign.
Now City have an opportunity to make it two league wins from two.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Head-to-Head
This is where City’s advantage becomes particularly clear.
The current head-to-head record stands at:
Manchester City: 20 wins
Crystal Palace: 4 wins
Draws: 5
That does not mean Palace should be written off.
They have caused City problems before, particularly when they defend compactly and attack quickly after recovering possession.
But over a larger sample, City have clearly been the stronger team in this matchup.
That historical record, combined with the teams’ current form, explains why we favour the visitors.
Crystal Palace Team News
Crystal Palace have one confirmed injury concern ahead of the match.
Chadi Riad is unavailable with a knee injury.
Palace are otherwise expected to have several of their important attacking players available.
That includes Jean-Philippe Mateta, who should lead the attack.
The biggest challenge will be finding a way to get enough support around him when City dominate possession.
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup
Palace are expected to use a 3-4-2-1 formation:
Goalkeeper:
Dean Henderson
Defence:
Jaydee Canvot – Chris Richards – Óscar Mingueza
Midfield:
Daniel Muñoz – Adam Wharton – Daichi Kamada – Tyrick Mitchell
Attacking Midfield:
Dwight McNeil – Eddie Nketiah
Forward:
Jean-Philippe Mateta
This system gives Palace an interesting route into the game.
Muñoz and Mitchell can provide width, while Nketiah can move closer to Mateta when Palace attack.
However, the wing-backs will need to choose their moments carefully.
Push too high and City could find huge spaces behind them.
Stay too deep and Palace risk spending most of the game defending around their own penalty area.
Manchester City Team News
Manchester City’s main confirmed absentee is Jérémy Doku.
The winger is dealing with a calf injury and is currently expected to remain unavailable until around mid-September.
Doku’s absence removes one of City’s strongest one-on-one threats.
However, the visitors still have plenty of attacking options.
Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland give City different ways to attack Palace’s back three.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup
City are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1:
Goalkeeper:
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Defence:
Rico Lewis – Abdukodir Khusanov – Rúben Dias – Josko Gvardiol
Midfield:
Mateo Kovacic – Marc Guéhi
Attacking Midfield:
Phil Foden – Nico O’Reilly – Antoine Semenyo
Forward:
Erling Haaland
The obvious danger man is Haaland.
Palace’s three centre-backs will need to remain extremely disciplined when City move the ball into wide positions.
Allowing Haaland space between defenders inside the penalty area is exactly what Palace need to avoid.
Key Statistics Before Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
A few trends stand out before kick-off:
- Manchester City won their opening league match 2-1.
- Crystal Palace lost their opener 2-0.
- Palace have lost their last three matches.
- Palace failed to score in all three of those defeats.
- City have won three of their last five matches.
- City lead the current H2H record 20-4, with five draws.
The numbers clearly favour City, but Selhurst Park adds an important variable.
Palace cannot afford to allow the visitors to settle immediately.
The Key Battle: Palace’s Back Three vs Haaland
Much of this match could come down to how Palace handle Erling Haaland.
Playing with three central defenders gives the hosts extra numbers around City’s striker.
But Haaland does not need many touches.
His movement between defenders is one of his biggest strengths, and City’s attacking midfielders will constantly look for the moment when Palace’s defensive line loses its shape.
Chris Richards and his defensive partners therefore need to communicate throughout the game.
One mistake could be enough.
Can Palace Hurt Manchester City?
Yes.
Palace’s best opportunities are likely to come through transitions.
City should dominate possession, meaning the hosts may spend long periods without the ball.
But when Palace recover it, they need to move forward quickly.
Mateta provides a physical target, while Nketiah can attack the spaces around him.
Daniel Muñoz can also be dangerous when he gets forward from wing-back.
If Palace try to slowly build every attack, City should have enough time to reorganise.
Quick transitions offer a much better route to goal.
Phil Foden Could Find Space Between the Lines
Palace’s 3-4-2-1 shape naturally creates a crowded central area.
However, there can still be space between the midfield and defensive lines.
That is where Phil Foden could become important.
If Palace’s midfielders step forward to pressure City’s deeper players, Foden can move into the space they leave behind.
If they stay deeper, City gain more control in midfield.
It is a difficult balance.
This is one reason we expect City to create enough chances to score more than once.
Can Crystal Palace Keep a Clean Sheet?
Based on their recent defensive performances, it looks difficult.
Palace have conceded eight goals across their last three matches.
City, meanwhile, scored twice against Bournemouth and three against Atlético Madrid during their recent run.
With Haaland, Foden and Semenyo available, the visitors have several ways to create chances.
That makes Manchester City Over 1.5 Team Goals one of our preferred angles.
Why Manchester City Should Win
There are several reasons to favour City.
First, they started their Premier League campaign with a victory.
Palace did not.
Second, Palace arrive after three consecutive defeats without scoring.
City’s recent form has been more consistent.
Then there is the head-to-head record.
Manchester City have won 20 of the 29 meetings included in the current record, compared with only four Palace victories.
Finally, City simply possess more individual quality.
Palace can make the game uncomfortable, particularly at Selhurst Park, but over 90 minutes we expect the visitors to create the better chances.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Prediction & Betting Tips
🔥 Main Pick: Manchester City to Win
Our main Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction is a City victory.
The visitors enter the game in better form and have the stronger squad.
Palace’s run of three straight defeats is also difficult to ignore.
We expect the hosts to compete, but City should eventually have too much attacking quality.
🛡️ Safe Pick: Manchester City Draw No Bet
For a more conservative selection:
Manchester City Draw No Bet
If the game finishes level, the stake is returned.
It provides additional protection against the possibility of Palace producing a strong home performance.
⚽ Goals Pick: Manchester City Over 1.5 Team Goals
City have enough attacking quality to score multiple goals here.
Palace have conceded eight times across their previous three games, while City have Haaland leading the attack.
Our goals selection is:
Manchester City Over 1.5 Team Goals.
💎 Value Pick: Manchester City to Win & Over 2.5 Goals
For a higher-risk option, we like:
Manchester City to Win + Over 2.5 Total Goals
Results such as 1-2, 1-3, 0-3 or 2-3 would all land this selection.
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Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Predicted Score
🎯 Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City
We expect Palace to make this more competitive than their recent results might suggest.
Selhurst Park can be a difficult venue, and the hosts have enough attacking quality to create opportunities on the counter.
However, City’s ability to control possession should gradually push Palace deeper.
Once that happens, Haaland’s movement and Foden’s creativity could become increasingly difficult to contain.
Palace may find a goal, but we expect City to create more chances over the full 90 minutes.
Our Crystal Palace vs Manchester City score prediction is 1-3.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City FAQ
Who will win Crystal Palace vs Manchester City?
Manchester City are our predicted winners. They enter the game with stronger recent results and have a significant historical advantage in this matchup.
What is the predicted score?
Our predicted score is Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City.
What is the safest pick for Crystal Palace vs Man City?
Our more conservative selection is Manchester City Draw No Bet. Remember that no football prediction or bet is guaranteed.
When is Crystal Palace vs Manchester City?
The match takes place on Friday, August 28, 2026, with kick-off at 19:00 UTC / 20:00 UK time at Selhurst Park.
Final Prediction
Manchester City are deserved favourites, but this is not a fixture we would treat as automatic.
Palace have home advantage and enough physical and attacking quality to threaten City when the visitors lose possession.
Still, the recent numbers strongly favour the away side.
City opened the league season with a victory, while Palace arrive after three consecutive defeats without scoring.
Over 90 minutes, we expect City’s superior attacking quality to decide the match.
🔥 Main Pick: Manchester City to Win
🛡️ Safe Pick: Manchester City Draw No Bet
⚽ Goals Pick: Manchester City Over 1.5 Team Goals
💎 Value Pick: Manchester City to Win & Over 2.5 Goals
🎯 Predicted Score: Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City
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