Manchester City Vs Crystal Palace
Saturday 18th January 2020 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Man City & Both Teams to Score
Odds: 7/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds displayed in this article were correct at time of writing: 15th January 2020 at 13:20)
It was in this very fixture that Manchester City succumbed to their only Premier League defeat en route to capturing the title in 2018/19, losing 3-2 at the hands of a Crystal Palace side that were extremely clinical on the day. What are the chances of a repeat occurrence?
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Table of Contents
Manchester City Preview – Ruthless City gunning for Palace revenge?
In all likelihood Man City (2nd – W15 D2 L5, GF62 GA25) are not going to successfully defend their Premier League crown come the end of the season. Not with leaders Liverpool seemingly out of sight. That doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional scoring clinic produced by Pep Guardiola’s side between now and May, as was the case last week at Villa Park where Aston Villa were annihilated inside their own stadium by the rampant English champions, who eased to a 6-1 victory.
No team comes even close to the prolific nature of this City side, scoring at least twelve more times than any of their top-flight rivals so far this season. Sergio Aguero accounts for 13 of that total (62), with the Argentine becoming the most lethal overseas marksmen in the history of the Premier League with his hat-trick last weekend. Next up for him and his team-mates is a fixture which brought about their only home reverse during the previous term when losing 3-2 to Crystal Palace at The Etihad.
To their credit, the Sky Blues have subsequently beaten Palace twice in the league – both on the road and on both occasions by exactly two goals (0-2 and 1-3). Five straight victories in league and cup might also suggest a team in-form and back to something resembling peak form. Their record at The Etihad this season is typically strong (W8 D1 L2), but also clear evidence that standards have dropped, having already lost more home games this season – to Man Utd (1-2) and Wolves (0-2) – than throughout all of the last campaign.
Crystal Palace Preview – Eagles to soar in Manchester for second time this season?
The exploits of Crystal Palace (9th – W7 D8 L7, GF20 GA24) have almost gone under the radar this season. Despite limited resources, a host of injuries and a forward line that is hardly the envy of their Premier League rivals, the South London club occupy the top-half of the table in ninth after a quite superb run which has seen them avoid defeat in eight of their previous nine encounters (W3 D5 L1). Their only defeat since the end of November a harsh 1-0 loss away at St James’ Park to Newcastle.
Maintaining this difficult to beat streak of theirs will prove incredibly challenging this weekend, though. Then again, Palace were the only team to win away to Man City in last season’s league campaign, when a stunning Andros Townsend strike inspired The Eagles to a memorable 3-2 victory at The Etihad. However, that was something of a rarity for them: a maiden win in this fixture, losing on all six previous visits when facing the Sky Blues during the Premier League era.
Palace can, however, take heart from both last week’s battling display at home to Arsenal as well as their encouraging recent run of results. Jordan Ayew’s deflected effort earning them a third consecutive 1-1 draw in the league. It also extended their current unbeaten run in said competition to four (W1 D3). Furthermore, if Roy Hodgson’s men are seeking inspiration then look no further than their performance in Manchester in August, albeit against the reds of Man Utd when winning 2-1 at Old Trafford.
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Betting Summary
Manchester City probably won’t retain their Premier League crown but that doesn’t mean there will be much complacency on show from the current champions between now and the remainder of the term. Aston Villa were ruthlessly dispatched a week ago, making it five straight victories in all competitions – though four were despite failing to keep a clean sheet, as was the case in four of their previous five league wins at home.
Manchester City Vs Crystal Palace – Key Facts:
- Victory over Aston Villa last time out, winning 6-1 on the road, was a fifth consecutive win in all competitions for Man City.
- Drawing at home with Arsenal last weekend made it three successive 1-1 draws for Crystal Palace in the league, losing one of their last nine (W3 D5 L1).
- Man City won the previous two league encounters with Crystal Palace, who were, however, 3-2 winners on their latest visit to The Etihad (2018/19).
Crystal Palace caused the reigning Premier League champions all sorts of problems in this fixture last season, scoring three times in victory. There is reason to believe they could do something similar, with their strong counter-attacking attributes exactly what Man City have struggled to contend with this season. A total of 10 away goals is modest, however Palace, whose previous four fixtures have delivered both teams to score, did score twice away to Arsenal and Manchester United.
Best Betting Odds for Manchester City Vs Crystal Palace:
Manchester City – 1/9 Sportingbet
Draw – 10/1 Betfair
Crystal Palace – 28/1 BetVictor
