MANCHESTER CITY'S quest for a historic double Treble faces some major hurdles in the next few weeks but it would be a major surprise if the defence of their Premier League crown suffered a blow against struggling Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola's side roared back to top form by crushing Aston Villa 4-1 on Wednesday night, with Phil Foden helping himself to a hat-trick as two bets landed for me.
That has kept them in the thick of a three-way fight for the Premier League title and City are now gearing up for a blockbuster Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid.
They head to the Bernabeu next week for the first leg and the winner of that tie will probably be favourites to rule Europe. But Guardiola's players can't allow their minds to wander as every point is precious is one of the closest domestic title fights for years.
Crystal Palace have been something of a bogey team for Manchester City in recent seasons but it would be a major surprise if Oliver Glasner's men tripped the champions up here.
Since winning his first game after taking the reins from Roy Hodgson, Glasner has yet to taste victory again, going four matches without a win. The Eagles lost 1-0 at Bournemouth in midweek, bringing up two bets for our man Gabriel, and could get dragged back into the drop zone if they keep stumbling.
Sitting eight points clear of third-bottom Luton, Crystal Palace probably only need a few more points to secure another season in the top flight but Glasner will want to start building some momentum ahead of his first full season at the helm.
How the bookies view it
Crystal Palace have been written off for this one and the Eagles are as big as 9/1 with Bet365. Manchester City's best price is just 4/11 at Coral while the draw pays 22/5 at VBet.
Recent head to head
Crystal Palace claimed a shock 2-2 draw at the Etihad earlier this season and have a great record against Manchester City in recent seasons, losing just six of the last 12 meetings. But one of those defeats came on City's last trip to Selhurst Park and the Eagles haven't won at home in this fixture since 2015.
Players to watch
Guardiola rested Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in midweek and it will be interesting to see if more starts get a breather at Selhurst Park ahead of the trip to Madrid. De Bruyne should come back in for this one and the Belgian is 4/1 at SkyBet for anytime scorer. As always, he's more likely for an assist but that market hasn't been priced up yet.
Crystal Palace will probably need a moment of magic to score and Eberechi Eze is the man most likely to provide it. He's 9/2 with Bet365 for anytime scorer and the same firm price him at a tempting 11/10 for a shot on target.
Anything else catch the eye?
A lack of firepower has been costing Crystal Palace of late, with just three goals scored in their last four games. That makes a Manchester City win to nil worth a look at 5/4 with William Hill, although the champions are missing a lot of players in defence.
This fixture hasn't been producing a lot of corners, with the tally under double figures in the last six meetings. So under 9.5 corners could stand a good chance here at evens with Bet365.
Jefferson Lerma is usually decent value for a card, with the Crystal Palace man picking up nine yellows this season. He's 15/8 with Bet365 to go into the book again.
This English Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City will be played on Apr 6, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Crystal Palace vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
