Match Preview & Prediction: Crystal Palace FC & Manchester City FC

As the stage is set at Selhurst Park located in the heart of London, awaits an epic clash in Week 32, wherein Crystal Palace, representation of David, locks horns with the mighty Manchester City embodying Goliath. The significant odds difference, with City’s solid 1.33 in contrast to Palace’s stretched 8.00, clearly illustrates who the pre-match favorites are.

Crystal Palace enters the game manifesting a modest performance, having achieved an average of 1 point per match from the preceding 5 games both, home and away. Curiously, both teams scored (BTTS) in 3 out of these 5 games, with Crystal Palace scoring 6 times in total. Lately, they have found their rhythm at home, going undefeated in their last 2 matches. Confronting Manchester City’s staunch defense today would require Crystal Palace to bring forth their best, especially considering they scored in the last 7 home encounters. However, this season, they failed to score in 4 home matches. BTTS was observed in 3 of Crystal Palace’s last 5 games, and this trend was recorded in 63% of all games they participated this season.

Touching upon Manchester City’s trends, they have been thriving in recent times amassing 11 points from the past 5 games, with an average of 2.2 points per game. Only 2 of these 5 matches observed a BTTS occurrence. Their form on foreign pitches been commendable, remaining undefeated in the last 6 away matches, their prowess to score on the road shining through. They managed to find the net in their last 6 away encounters. With Manchester City currently sporting a robust 14 games without a loss streak, their momentum is formidable. They had victories in 3 out of the last 5 games. They kept the rivals off score in 3 out of the past 5 matches, ceding a mere 2 goals during these games. This season saw Manchester City keep 9 clean sheets, while BTTS transpired in 18 out of their 29 total matches.

The historical data outline an edge for Manchester City. Of their 24 previous encounters, Manchester City emerged victorious 17 times, while Crystal Palace managed to seal the game just thrice, the remaining 4 ending in draws. The specifics of their previous face-off culminated in a narrow victory in favor of Manchester City by 2 goals to 1.

Given Crystal Palace’s frail form at home and Manchester City’s superior performances on the road, we expect a conducive game for Manchester City. Analyzing the seasons so far, Crystal Palace has managed an average of 1.14 Points Per Game during home matches, while Manchester City excelled with an impressive average of 2.07 Points Per Game in away matches. Based on this comprehensive analysis and the teams’ current form, Manchester City seems to be the considerably stronger side heading into this game.

Insights

• Crystal Palace FC has managed 5 points from their last 5 matches, averaging 1 point per game.
• They have seen Both Teams To Score (BTTS) in 3 out of these 5 games.
• Crystal Palace FC has scored a total of 6 goals in their last 5 games.
• They have a strong home performance record, remaining unbeaten in their last 2 home games.
• Crystal Palace FC has consistently scored in their last 7 home games, proving a challenge for Manchester City’s defence.
• Out of the last 5 games, Crystal Palace has seen BTTS in 3 games.
• On the other hand, Manchester City FC has acquired 11 points from their last 5 games, with an average of 2.2 points per game.
• They have seen BTTS in only 2 out of these 5 games.
• Manchester City FC also has scored a total of 6 goals in these 5 games.
• They have a commendable away game record, remaining unbeaten in their last 6 away games.
• Manchester City FC has managed to score in their last 6 away games.
• They have an impressive unbeaten run, having not lost a game in their last 14 appearances, winning 3 out of their last 5 games.
• Manchester City FC has kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 games, conceding only 2 goals.
• Only 2 out of their last 5 games have ended with BTTS.
• Despite being clear underdogs with pre-match odds of 8.00, Crystal Palace FC will be looking to upset Manchester City FC’s current form in their home ground, Selhurst Park.
• In their previous face-offs, Manchester City FC has dominated with 17 wins out of 24 meetings, while Crystal Palace FC has only managed 3 victories.
• The average goal per match when these teams meet sits at 3, with BTTS happening 33% of the time.
• This season, Crystal Palace FC has averaged 1.14 Points Per Game in home matches while Manchester City FC has averaged 2.07 Points Per Game in away matches.

Match Forecast

• Given Crystal Palace’s strength in creating long shot opportunities and Manchester City’s weakness in aerial duels, expect a significant number of long-range attempts from Crystal Palace.
• Manchester City’s strength in defending against set pieces might neutralize Crystal Palace’s potential threat from free kicks.
• Manchester City might dominate ball possession given their style of possession football and Crystal Palace’s weakness in keeping possession of the ball.
• Crystal Palace might suffer in finishing scoring chances due to their inherent weakness and Manchester City’s strong defense.
• Crystal Palace might struggle to defend against Manchester City’s attacks through individual skill and through balls due to their poor defense against attacks down the wings.
• There will likely be a lot of action down the left wing from Crystal Palace due to their preferred play style.
• Manchester City’s frequent rotation of their first eleven might mean an unpredictable lineup for Crystal Palace to deal with.
• With both teams favoring long shots, expect a high-intensity game with both teams frequently attacking the goal from distance.
• Crystal Palace’s serious weakness in defending counter-attacks could be exploited by Manchester City’s strong finishers.

Match Facts

• When Crystal Palace hosts Manchester City, the most frequently observed scoreline is 0-2 in favor of Manchester City, having occurred 4 times.
• In the previous 17 encounters where Crystal Palace has hosted, they’ve won 4 times, drawn 3 times, and lost to Manchester City 10 times. Manchester City leads in the goal tally with a score of 25-13.
• Across all 34 past meetings, Manchester City has won 21 times, compared to Crystal Palace’s 6 victories and 7 draws. Manchester City has outscored Crystal Palace with a cumulative score of 70-29.
• The last home triumph for Crystal Palace against Manchester City was back in 2015.
• Manchester City managed to win both fixtures against Crystal Palace in the previous season; 4-2 at their home ground and 1-0 on their away fixture.
• Interesting fact: Crystal Palace and Manchester City both typically score 24% of their goals in the final 15 minutes of their games (76-90 minutes).
• Manchester City is currently on an impressive 23-game unbeaten run.
• Manchester City’s record extends to their away fixtures as well, having not lost any of the previous 10.
• Crystal Palace has failed to score in 4 out of 14 home games in the Premier League this season, while Manchester City couldn’t score in 2 away games.
• Crystal Palace’s top assist provider is Jordan Ayew with 6 assists, while Julian Alvarez leads the assist charts for Manchester City with 8.
• Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma (7) and Manchester City’s Rodri (8) lead their respective teams in yellow cards.
• Both Crystal Palace and Manchester City have had scored in 9 and 22 matches consecutively.
• Manchester City has proven to be more successful in winning the 1st half of games, with a rate of 53%, compared to Crystal Palace’s 26%.
• The last game between these two teams ended in a 2-2 draw.
• Winning possibilities when leading 1-0 are 45% for Crystal Palace at home and 80% for Manchester City away.
• The chances of a comeback victory when trailing 1-0 are 33% for Crystal Palace at home, and 45% for Manchester City away.
• In the Premier League, Manchester City has performed better than Crystal Palace.
• Manchester City also boasts a better performance in the last 5 matches in comparison to Crystal Palace.
• Manchester City suffered only one defeat in the last five encounters against Crystal Palace, across all competitions.
• The last five matches saw Crystal Palace with one win, Manchester City with two, and 2 ties.
• Goals per game averages are 1.2 for Crystal Palace and 1.4 for Manchester City when they meet.
• The average number of goals per game between Crystal Palace and Manchester City is 2.6, with an average of 0.8 goals in the first half.
• Crystal Palace and Manchester City are both coming off their last Premier League match without a win.
• Neither Crystal Palace nor Manchester City conceded in their most recent matches.
• On average, Crystal Palace scores 1.42 goals per home game, while Manchester City scores 2.26 on their travels.