- City have won three and lost two of their last five competitive games in all competitions
- City won 5-2 at the Etihad in the Premier League, but Palace held them to a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park earlier in the campaign
- Palace have won three of their last five league and European games, including consecutive away victories over Fulham and Burnley
Title contenders to clash in tight top-four battle
Two of the best sides in the Premier League 2025-2026 season will meet in a clash of styles at Selhurst Park on Sunday when Crystal Palace host Manchester City.
City are second with 31 points and Palace are fourth on 26. Both teams need the points to keep their respective ambitions on track as the festive period looms. The Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction from the bookmakers sees City as strong favourites at 1.91 to Palace’s 4.16 in a home upset, but the hosts should not be underestimated.
Oliver Glasner has developed a compact, reactive game plan that allows Palace to play at a high tempo when they have the ball and then to counter-press and recover shape when they lose it. The Eagles play with wing-backs and aim to catch opponents out with a quick transition from defence to attack. They have enough quality, pace and size to hurt even the best teams in the league if the game goes their way.
City’s squad depth and quality a cut above Palace’s
Jean-Philippe Mateta is the focal point of their attacking play and has been Palace’s main goal-getter this season, while Marc Guéhi is the anchor of the defence and a danger on set plays - as Fulham found out when he nodded home a late winner at Fulham.
Dean Henderson’s agility and shot-stopping ability have been a crucial part of Palace’s rise to the top half of the table and their ability to dig deep to get the points. The Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction will depend on how well Henderson and Guéhi can contain City's attack, especially given Palace have won back-to-back away games, the most recent featuring Guéhi’s late winner at Fulham.
City’s playing style could hardly be more different, with Pep Guardiola’s side focusing on patience and positional superiority in possession as they patiently pull opponents out of shape. They have quality in abundance, not just in attacking areas where Erling Haaland is the main man, but also in the deeper positions where Jéremy Doku has been adding pace and directness to the wide play with Marmoush or Kovačić in the number ten role when City have been forced to rotate recently. The Crystal Palace vs Manchester City preview suggests that City’s depth could be decisive as the busy winter schedule takes its toll.
City’s defence a little wobbly when they have had to rotate
Guardiola continues to adapt his master plan and City have played some wonderful soccer in recent weeks, but their results have been mixed with a loss in the Champions League to Bayer Leverkusen and a 5-4 thriller at Fulham, where their defence was all over the place.
Our Crystal Palace vs Manchester City betting tips point out that Haaland has been off the boil for the last few weeks while Phil Foden, who is in good form, has hit some crucial goals - like his stoppage-time winner at Elland Road when Leeds had dominated the game. City should win this game because they have better players and more of them, but Palace’s recent FA Cup victory and home form means they will give them a game.
City have a superior head-to-head record in all competitions, but Palace beat them 1-0 in the 2025 FA Cup Final to claim their first major silverware in the club’s history. This Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction includes the belief that will give them going into the encounter, although City will be motivated to respond to the shock result of that day. Backing Over 2.5 goals at 1.75 looks good here given the potential for Palace to go for it, City’s recent high-scoring games and the fact that Selhurst Park could be pretty cold and rainy on Sunday.
