Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups
Best Bets for Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
- Manchester City to win and Both Teams to score (Yes) at odds of 3.40 with Bet9ja
- Jean-Philippe Mateta Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.75 with Bet9ja
- Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.72 with Bet9ja
Manchester City will break Crystal Palace hearts with a 3-1 win at Wembley.
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Our Analysis: Form of Both Teams
Crystal Palace have reached their first FA Cup Final since 1990 when they faced Manchester United at the old Wembley Stadium. This time around, they face United’s closest rivals, Manchester City, at the new Wembley.
Oliver Glasner’s Eagles have been in a safe mid-table position for much of the season, showing improvement after a sluggish start to the campaign. However, they’ve averaged just 1.25 points per game from their last eight Premier League games.
Despite some progress, Palace still have a negative goal difference in the Premier League. Glasner faces a couple of selection issues ahead of the cup final, with influential midfielder, Adam Wharton, still recovering from an ankle injury.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City could still have a happy ending to their season. Although they’ve been well off the title pace this season, an upturn in form has boosted their chances of securing Champions League qualification. They’ve averaged 2.25 points per game from their last eight Premier League fixtures.
City have won five of their last league games but were held to a frustrating goalless draw at bottom-placed Southampton last weekend. Rodri could make a surprise return at Wembley. However, it may still be too much for Guardiola’s most influential defensive midfielder to return for a one-off game after such a long time out with an ACL knee injury.
Probable Lineups for Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
Crystal Palace Expected Lineup: Henderson; Richards, Guehi, Lacroix, Munoz, Mitchell, Hughes, Wharton, Sarr, Eze, Mateta
Manchester City Expected Lineup: Ederson; Lewis, Gvardiol, Dias, Akanji, Silva, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku, Haaland
City to Win Without a Clean Sheet
Manchester City aim to end the campaign by lifting the FA Cup, but Crystal Palace will certainly make life tough for them on Saturday. The Eagles have scored in five of their last six competitive games against City.
Unfortunately for Palace, City have scored at least two goals in five of their last six meetings. In fact, they’ve scored four or more in three of those games. The last time Palace beat City was in October 2021, but they benefited from a red card shown to City defender Aymeric Laporte during the match.
Given City’s upturn in fortunes and Kevin De Bruyne’s determination to leave City this summer with one more winner’s medal, we envisage Guardiola’s men winning a high-scoring contest.
- Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Bet 1: Manchester City to win and Both Teams to score (Yes) at odds of 3.40 with Bet9ja
Back Mateta to be the Eagles’ Talisman
French powerhouse, Jean-Philippe Mateta, has been Crystal Palace’s primary point in attack this season. He has made his mark with 17 Premier League goals to his name.
The 27-year-old has consistently delivered in recent months. He put in standout displays in a victory over rivals Brighton before a stunning late equaliser at Arsenal in April. Mateta was also a dominant force against the Tottenham defence last weekend. He created space for Eberechi Eze to score twice and secured all three points in North London.
City’s defence have often struggled against overly physical forwards, and Mateta certainly fits that profile. He’s Palace’s best hope of scoring at Wembley this weekend.
- Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Bet 2: Jean-Philippe Mateta Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.75 with Bet9ja
Three or More Goals Likely
Manchester City have averaged 1.86 goals scored per game this season. Meanwhile, Palace have averaged 1.28 goals scored per game. Five of their last six head-to-head meetings have finished with three or more goals scored.
City’s 5-2 demolition of Palace last month should certainly come into the equation. Palace were without Marc Guehi but even without him, they nearly fielded their full-strength starting XI.
As many Premier League teams have discovered, City have the ability to score at will when they are in the mood. They’ll surely be keen to make a statement at Wembley and demonstrate to the world that the Guardiola era is still going strong.
- Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Bet 3: Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.72 with Bet9ja