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The pundits have had their say ahead of Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium today looking to move back into the Champions League qualification places.
It was confirmed on Tuesday evening that the Premier League will have an extra Champions League place allocated to them next season, meaning the top five will qualify for European football’s premier competition.
The problem for City, though, is that they fell out of the top five last weekend following their drab 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
City start this weekend in sixth place and are a point adrift of Chelsea and Newcastle United, who are fourth and fifth respectively.
But as they kick off on Saturday lunchtime, the visit of in-form Crystal Palace offers Pep Guardiola’s side the chance to move back into fourth place with a win before Chelsea and Newcastle play this weekend.
With that in mind, here’s how some of the leading Premier League pundits believe City will fare, including a brutal verdict from BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton.
Chris Sutton
The former Blackburn and Celtic forward told BBC Sport: “Crystal Palace are a really well-balanced team who can cause Manchester City all sorts of problems with their 3-4-3 formation, even though Marc Guehi and Eddie Nketiah are suspended after being sent off against Brighton last week.
“The Eagles are in better form than Pep Guardiola’s side, too, with four wins and a draw from their past five league games – City have only won twice in the same period.
“I still cannot move away from a City win, however. I still expect them to win these kind of games at home, even if they are miles away from being the team they were 12 months ago.
“We saw more evidence of that last week, because Sunday’s Manchester derby was probably the dullest derby game I have ever watched.
“You think about when Guardiola came over, and how he transformed the game. For years, City were so watchable.
“Now, if they were playing in my back garden I would close the curtains – although that would be a bit harsh on Palace.”
Sutton’s prediction: Man City 2-1 Crystal Palace
Paul Merson
The Sky Sports pundit told SportsKeeda: “There are a lot of players in this Manchester City team who are now low on confidence. When you’re in that situation, playing in Pep Guardiola’s system can be difficult. We saw that during the derby against Manchester United.
“Manchester City must finish inside the top-four. They cannot go from being champions to finishing sixth, that would be a huge concern. This is a hard game to call because I believe Crystal Palace can cause City some problems.
“Kevin De Bruyne is an absolute legend. City owe him a good farewell. He’s one of the only players who I’ve watched that can thread a pass through a needle while running at full steam. Truly one of the all time greats of the Premier League, phenomenal footballer!
“I’m backing City to win by a slender margin, but even then I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended 1-1. Palace definitely have the ammunition to hurt City and I expect them to score at the Etihad.”
Merson’s prediction: Man City 2-1 Crystal Palace
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Mark Lawrenson
The former BBC Sport pundit told Paddy Power: “I’ll go for a big win for Manchester City, they’ve started to look like a better unit of late.
“Crystal Palace are going well but I fancy City to finish the season strongly and to win this on home soil.”
Lawrenson’s prediction: Man City 3-0 Crystal Palace
Published: 2025-04-12 07:00:00 | Author: [email protected] (Sean McCormick) | Source: MEN – Sport
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tags: #Man #City #playing #garden #shut #curtains #clear #win #Crystal #Palace #clash
