Crystal Palce v Manchester City
Saturday 12th September – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Football – England – Premier League
Following the first of two international breaks in the early part of the new season, top-flight domestic football returns and Manchester City will be looking to preserve their 100% start to the Premier League. They will not get it their own way to Selhurst Park, however, against a Crystal Palace team who beat champions Chelsea away from home a fortnight ago, which will give them great confidence ahead of this fixture.
The job that Alan Pardew has done since taking over the managers job at Palace has been nothing short of remarkable. He took over a side who were heavily involved with the battle for survival back in January, and transformed them into one of the most attractive teams to watch in the country. Three wins from their first four games means they sit in second place, on their own, and look to be improving each and every week. The win at Stamford Bridge was anything but a fluke – they were fully deserving of it, and to hit back after Chelsea equalised was testament to the spirt and resilience that Pardew has instilled in this squad. The visit of the current pacesetters will be another challenge but such is the mood surrounding Crystal Palace at the moment, they will be confident of causing another big name major problems.
If ever there was a response to a disappointing defence of the league title they won in 2014, it is City’s start to this season. Four wins from four games, 10 goals scored and zero conceded is exactly what Manuel Pellegrini would have been hoping for from his players. The start has been made even more impressive due to Chelsea and the other challengers failing to match the consistency meaning they are at least five points clear of any of the other clubs who finished in the top six last term. The highlight remains the 3-0 win at home to Chelsea but convincing away successes against West Brom, and more recently Everton, have indicated that Man City have much more resolve about them compared to 12 months ago. Saturday will prove to be another test of that, and it’s set up to be very interesting encounter.
It’s not often you find a team who have a better record away from home, than they do at home, but that’s the case for Crystal Palace under Pardew. The Eagles have won eight and lost two of the 10 away games the manager has been in charge for. It is a tremendously consistent record, but the next challenge is to transfer that form to their home games. Heading into Saturday’s clash with City, Palace have lost four of their last six home games in the Premier League. They started this season losing 2-1 to Arsenal before winning by the same score line against Aston Villa. Roared on by a raucous home support, the players will be looking to build on the excellent result and performance against Chelsea by matching it on Saturday.
Pellegrini and City finally got their man in the final couple of days of the transfer window by securing Kevin De Bruyne at a cost of over £50m from Wolfsburg. The Belgian may make his debut from the start on Saturday alongside Raheem Sterling and David Silva. I have written before about how good that trio could prove to be if they develop an understanding. The variety it provides City is frightening and will be a nightmare for opposition managers to defend against. It will not only be a boost for their chances of winning the Premier League but should also ensure they are more competitive in the Champions League which begins next week. Nicolas Otamendi is also yet to make his debut but he may have to wait a bit longer as Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala have been very solid at the heart of the defence, helping their side to keep four successive clean sheets.
Crystal Palace v Manchester City Betting Tips
The week after an international break is often difficult for clubs who have players travelling all over the world, which is the case for both these clubs. The two managers may opt to shuffle their squads – particularly City who face Juventus on Tuesday – but such has been the respective starts of the two, it’s likely they will stick by the players who have excelled thus far.
Palace started slowly at home to Arsenal and ultimately paid the price but they had chances to get a draw in the second half, so there’s no doubting they can compete with the best the Premier League has to offer. They will also take confidence from the 2-1 victory in this fixture back in April, but will be aware that they are bound to face a completely different Manchester City outfit.
City are already looking formidable in the early part of this season but nothing is won in September and it only takes one defeat to bring them back to the other contenders. They are also entering a period where the games come thick and fast across a variety of competitions so their big squad will definitely come into play. In terms of this match, it looks like it could be full of entertainment and chances at both ends. City may not have conceded yet but Everton had their fair share of chances at Goodison last month and Palace’s pace on the counter attack is going to be something the visitors have to be wary of. Pardew’s men have scored in all four games this season and I think they will be the first to breach Joe Hart’s goal in 2015/16. It’s virtually impossible to imagine this City side failing to score themselves, so both teams to score is the selection.
Both teams to score 7/10 @ Betvictor
