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The Citizens brushed Palace 4-0 aside when these two teams met in January, and they have maintained a five-game unbeaten run at Selhurst Park since 2014-15.
Crystal Palace face a stiff Manchester City challenge on Saturday at home as the fans keenly wait for the season to end. Manager Roy Hodgson’s contract is due to expire in June and with the team sitting on thirteenth in the league table, it’s unlikely that the Palace board would retain him for another year. Whereas, Manchester City head to London on the back of their splendid victory over Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League first leg semi-final on Wednesday. They are also one win away from becoming the Premier League champions should other fixtures go their way.
Seventeen days after their loss against Chelsea, Crystal Palace looked more than capable to withstand third placed Leicester at home in their last outing. Wilfried Zaha scored the first goal of the game on the 12th-minute and the Eagles looked poised to finish the game with all three points. But eventually Roy Hodgson’s men succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, after Timothy Castagne and Kelechi Iheanacho brought Leicester back on track after the interval. The loss on Tuesday night also meant that their dreams of a top-half finish is almost over. Palace have won just once from their last seven Premier League games, and after Man City, the South London club still have Arsenal and Liverpool to face in the final two weekends of the season. But even though the Eagles aren’t safe from dropping down, they are 11 points clear of the bottom three and sit on the 13th spot with a game in hand. So, in his last few weeks in London, Hodgson will be expecting his players to honour him with a decent farewell through a respectable mid-table spot.
As for Pep Guardiola and his boys it has been a delightful week – a labouring 2-1 victory against Aston Villa last Thursday was followed by the 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao League Cup final three days later. And on Wednesday night, Guardiola overcame one of the most crucial matches in his entire illustrious managerial career with a 1-2 victory in the Champions League semi-final at the Parc de Princes. Despite falling behind Manchester City had the last laugh thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s timely goal and Riyad Mahrez’s stunning free kick in the second half. The Citizens now turn their attention to the Premier League and could possibly wrap up the Premier League title if they win at Selhurst Park and Manchester United lose to Liverpool. Despite two defeats at home, City have won their last 10 away matches in the Premier League and a win on Saturday would see them match the existing record of 11 consecutive away wins in English top flight.
Key Players
Wilfried Zaha: The Eagles forward has been their standout player this season despite suffering from multiple injuries throughout the season. Zaha scored ten goals and two assists in twenty-four Premier League appearances is Crystal Palace’s top scorer this year. His numbers of 2.1 shots with 0.9 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per game has been sufficient to attract interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. But even after being heavily linked with a move nearly every summer transfer window, the Ivory Coast international has stayed loyal to Crystal Palace, although that could change should an irresistible offer arrive this summer.
Christian Benteke: The Belgian forward has actually had a fairly productive term in attack if compared to the two previous campaigns. Benteke has scored six times in twenty-five league matches and has been a threat inside the area for Palace. The lanky striker won an average of 6 aerial duels per game the most in the Premier League.
Riyad Mahrez: Often criticised for not turning up on big games, Mahrez has been City’s decisive player quite literally since the past few months. His superb performance in the Carabao Cup final ended with a Man of the Match trophy while his astounding free kick against Paris Saint Germain midweek gave City a crucial away goal advantage which might prove to be pivotal if they reach the finals. The Algerian has taken 2.2 shots per game with an 88% accuracy while passing in twenty-five league matches so far and it seems that the former Leicester City winger is finally living up to the expectations.
Joao Cancelo: As mentioned earlier Manchester City’s successful run this season has been on the basis of their strong defence at the back. The Portuguese defender is a composed passer as well as a resolute defender with 2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.4 dribbles per match. But his ability to read the game and to be at the right place at the right time has turned into one of the best left-backs in the world.
Prediction
It’s been another easy to forget season for Palace fans. Although they start the campaign on a high note, a stretch of ordinary performances for months has pushed them to the second half of the table. With 6 games in hand and an eleven points difference between them seventeenth-placed Fulham it’s quite possible for Roy Hodgson’s men to play much more freely in the remaining matches. On Saturday’s fixture, the Eagles might take an early lead due to City’s tired legs from midweek, but have a high chance of ending up on the losing side or even snatch a draw if they are fortunate enough. Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho, Nathan Ferguson, James Tomkins and Connor Wickham have been ruled out for the match while James McCarthy has been declared fit to start.
The Citizens brushed Palace 4-0 aside when these two teams met in January, and they have maintained a five-game unbeaten run at Selhurst Park since 2014-15. Therefore, they shouldn’t have much problems grabbing another three points in London this weekend. John Stones is the only player to be missing out through suspension, as Guardiola aims to wrap up the title by this weekend.
