Predicted Starting Line-Up: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City (Premier League)

After a win last time out, Manchester City will look to build momentum in the Premier League as they travel to South London for a showdown with Crystal Palace.

Pep Guardiola’s side finally got back to winning ways after seven straight matches in all competitions without tasting victory as they cruised to a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.

First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were added to by Jeremy Doku in the second 45 minutes, seeing the reigning Premier League champions provide a glimpse of their old form as they had the better of their high-flying visitors from the first whistle.

But heading into the weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace, the Etihad Stadium outfit will be forced to deal with a new wave of injury issues, as both Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake sustained fresh issues on Wednesday, adding to John Stones’ foot problem.

That trio join Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden on the sidelines, whilst Rodri and Oscar Bobb maintain their own recovery processes with a view towards a return to action for Manchester City at various stages of 2025.

As Pep Guardiola is faced with another wave of injury problems in his first-team squad, and takes on the challenge of various selection headaches across the team, this is how we believe Manchester City could line-up at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon!

Predicted XI

Stefan Ortega Moreno appears to be Pep Guardiola’s current number one in the Premier League, and should remain in between the sticks having not put a foot – or a glove – wrong in any of his last two starts.

With injuries at the back, club captain Kyle Walker will most likely rejoin the fray at his usual right-back spot and allow for further rest and recovery for Rico Lewis following a relentless start to the season for the youngster.

Injuries throughout the Manchester City defence also mean we could see Jahmai Simpson-Pusey get another big start in the Premier League, but this time alongside the ever-dependable Ruben Dias at the heart of Guardiola’s defence.

As a direct result of Nathan Ake’s injury, and also through his own excellent form in defensive and offensive areas throughout the season so far, Josko Gvardiol will take up the position of left-back in South London.

Just like the backline, Manchester City’s midfield is riddled with injuries, and Ilkay Gundogan is seemingly the only option to take on defensive midfield responsibilities despite criticism from some supporters in recent weeks.

Much of that criticism has been put down to a lack of legs from the German through age, and as such we think Pep Guardiola could deploy Gundogan alongside Bernardo Silva to help share the workload.

In the more advanced of Manchester City’s midfield trio this weekend, and following on from a superb showing in a central role against Nottingham Forest, we should see Jack Grealish retain his position and allow for Kevin De Bruyne to take on rest and avoid back-to-back starts.

The domino effect throughout the squad on the injury front also means Pep Guardiola’s options on the wing are limited, and we believe Savinho should come in on the right-side of the club’s front-three.

Erling Haaland remains in the midst of a dry-spell in front of goal for Manchester City in Premier League competitions, but like most strikers, he will simply need to play himself back into form and a goal this weekend would go a long way in doing just that.

Completing the line-up as we head over to the left of Manchester City’s front-three, and following on from his assist and goal in midweek, Jeremy Doku will likely retain his place in attack.

Predicted XI: Ortega Moreno; Walker, Simpson-Pusey, Dias, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Bernardo, Grealish; Savinho, Haaland, Doku.

Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand, Wright, O’Reilly, McAtee, De Bruyne, Nunes.