Premier League: Manchester City vs Crystal Palace - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Manchester City find themselves in an unusual battle for Champions League qualification as they host Crystal Palace at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s men shared the spoils in a lifeless Manchester derby across the street at Old Trafford earlier in the week. City, who are currently fifth, are in genuine threat of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since the 2009-10 season. 

So, they will be eager to secure all three points against the Eagles. The visitors, however, could be a tough nut to crack for the underfiring Citizens. Read on for our football tips on this make-or-break clash.

Manchester City

Manchester City have had a disappointing season, there’s no two ways about it. They have fallen out of the Premier League title race and prematurely exited the Champions League as well. The FA Cup remains the only attainable silverware for the reigning Premier League champions. 

City looked out of rhythm in their previous outing, and will be hoping to put on a much better display against a side that has lost only twice in their last six visits to the Etihad. 

Team News: Erling Haaland, Rodri, Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji will not be a part of the Manchester City squad for this match. 

Predicted Lineup: Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, Gundogan, Gonzalez, Savinho, Grealish, Doku, Marmoush.

Crystal Palace 

Crystal Palace came out on top in a heated Premier League battle against Brighton & Hove Albion that saw three red cards in their most recent match. 

The Eagles were at risk of surrendering their two-goal lead after Eddie Nketiah and Marc Guehi received marching orders. But, the Seagulls could only pull one goal back and lost Jan Paul van Hecke in the final minutes of the game. 

Palace have won six of their last seven away games across all competitions. They've been a bogey side for City in recent seasons and will be hoping for another strong result against a demoralised City side. NZ betting sites, however, are still offering long odds for a Palace victory or draw in this match. 

Team News: Guehi and Nketiah will be suspended. Maxence Lacroix remains a doubt after picking up a late injury at Selhurst Park last weekend. 

Predicted Lineup: Henderson, Clyne, Lerma, Ward, Munoz, Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze, Mateta.

• Manchester City have won three of their last six matches against Crystal Palace and drew three
• City conceded six goals in their last three games against Palace
• A total of 21 goals have been scored in the last five matches between these sides
• City last lost to Palace in 2021, and it was a home game for them 

Manchester City must step up their game if they want to guarantee a spot in next season’s Champions League. They never managed to recover after Rodri picked up an ACL injury early in the season, but will believe they have enough quality in their squad to beat Palace. 

Erling Haaland’s season-ending injury has thrown a spanner in the works though. However, new recruit Omar Marmoush has shown that he can be a lethal presence in front of the goal as well. The Egyptian has scored five goals in nine Premier League appearances for City already, and he will be looking to add to that tally. 

Palace will not have Guehi in their backline for this match, and Lacroix’s injury has further complicated Glasner’s defence problems. This should be a high-scoring affair, with Man City taking the spoils in front of their home crowd. 

Manchester City to Win 3-2 - $23

Looking for a high-risk, high-reward betting opportunity for this game? Both teams are expected to struggle defensively in this tie, so we expect the net to bulge on both ends of the pitch. 

Bookmaker PlayUp is offering a $23 return on City winning this tie 3-2. When it comes to football betting, this is about as good as it gets, particularly considering this fixture has seen plenty of goals in the past.