Manchester City are going from strength to strength in the Premier League this season, and they seem to have nailed down the strategy for another successful season, which is reflecting in the results. The Citizens will look to keep their winning run intact in their next match as well when they take on Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s men are currently at the second position and are waiting to leapfrog the current league leaders Liverpool. The Reds are leading them by just a point, and a win against the Eagles could help the Citizens achieve their goal of leading the Premier League table on Christmas (N.B. This article was written before Liverpool faced off against Wolves in their Friday night encounter).
Team News
Midfield maestro David Silva is set to miss out the next clash with an injury. Defender Bernard Mendy is also unavailable on a long-term basis. Vincent Kompany and Danilo will be assessed before the match.
Goalkeeper
After getting a well-deserved rest for the midweek match against Leicester City in the League Cup (which the Citizens won owing to Arijanet Muric’s heroics in the penalty shootout), Ederson would be back in the goal for the match against Crystal Palace.
Defence
The duo of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte would start in the heart of the defence for the Citizens. Kyle Walker would put in a shift from the right of the backline while Fabian Delph would start as the left back.
Midfield
With David Silva absent, Bernardo Silva would get the nod in the midfield ahead of Ilkay Gundogan. Kevin De Bruyne, who scored his first goal of the season against Leicester City in the midweek match, would start alongside him. Fernandinho would return to the starting lineup in his usual role as the defensive midfielder.
Attack
Sergio Aguero will once again lead the line for the Citizens. He will be accompanied by Leroy Sane, who was rested against the Foxes, from the left and by Raheem Sterling on the right, who would look to make amends for his penalty miss in the League Cup clash.
Predicted Formation: 4-3-3
