Manchester City vs Crystal Palace: prediction for the English Premier League fixture

Last season, Manchester City confidently qualified from their Champions League group, but after beating Sporting CP and Atlético Madrid in the first two playoff rounds, the Sky-Blues lost to the eventual champions Real Madrid in the semifinal.

Pep Guardiola's side had a fantastic Premier League campaign. The City team won 29 out of 38 games and scored 99 goals, which allowed them to win the league for the second consecutive season. In the summer, the club signed Erling Haaland (60 million) and Kalvin Phillips (48.75 million).

The defending champions beat West Ham (2:0) and Bournemouth (4:0) in the first two rounds of the Premier League, and then played out a high-scoring draw against Newcastle (3:3). 

Laporte, Ake, Grealish, Mbete-Tabu, and Phillips have been ruled out of this fixture. 

Last year, Crystal Palace had an amazing performance in the FA Cup - they defeated Millwall (2:1), Hartlepool United (2:0), Stoke City, and Everton (4:0) and reached the semifinals of the tournament. One step away from the final, the Glaziers lost Chelsea. In the Premier League, the Londoners chalked up 48 points from 38 games and finished in 12th place.

In the summer, Patrick Vieira's side signed Abdoulaye Doucouré from Lens (22.6 million) and Chris Richards from Bayern (12 mln). Palace's start to the new season was decent: after a defeat to Arsenal (0:2), the Glaziers drew against Liverpool (1:1) and beat Aston Villa (3:1). 

Butland, Tomkins, McArthur, and Ferguson are all sidelined through injuries.