English Premier
2026-08-28 - Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Friday 28th August 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Crystal Palace
After the last couple of seasons under Oliver Glasner and with more upheaval within the squad, Crystal Palace fans have to accept it is going to be a potentially difficult campaign. The transfer window cannot be closed quickly enough in terms of players wishing to leave Selhurst Park, but new manager Pierre Sage will be hoping the last few days involves the squad being bolstered by incomings as Crystal Palace also prepare for the challenging Europa League schedule.
Opening up with a 2-0 defeat at Everton will have stung, but Crystal Palace played well enough on the day and will be expecting more composure from forward players when opportunities do come up. The Eagles finished 15th last season in the Premier League, but that was partly down to turning full attention to the Conference League in which they were very successful. Improving the 4-9-6 home record in the top flight will be important if Crystal Palace are going to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap.
Crystal Palace have not won any of the last 8 Premier League games played and 5 of those have ended in defeat, including at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last week. The results at Selhurst Park tended to be more positive down the stretch and Crystal Palace had been unbeaten in 5 Premier League games here before losing to Arsenal on the final day.
Ismaila Sarr was not involved last weekend and he continues to be the subject of interest from the likes of Galatasaray. Chadi Riad picked up an injury that looks like it will rule him out for a while, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is another player who wants to move and is of interest to Aston Villa. Axel Disasi is expected to arrive in time to feature on Friday evening.
Manchester City
Eyebrows will have been raised when Enzo Maresca handed in his first Manchester City team selection in the Premier League with six defenders in the starting lineup. Critics would have been sharpening their knives as the game looked to be getting away from Manchester City, but two late goals have changed the narrative around the performance.
The new manager will know his team need to be better all around if Manchester City are going to mount a title challenge and move on from the Pep Guardiola era. A 2-1 win over Bournemouth is still a solid enough result to open the campaign, but Manchester City finished with a 9-6-4 away record in the top flight last season and that is where the title was lost.
Manchester City ended last season without a win in 2 Premier League games against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and so the come from behind win last Sunday may have just given the squad and Enzo Maresca an early season boost. The side are unbeaten in 8 away Premier League games, but half of those ended in draws, including Manchester City failing to win at Everton and Bournemouth to conclude the last campaign.
Jeremy Doku is expected to miss out, but Elliot Anderson is hoping to be passed fit. Rayan Cherki made a big impact from the bench and will be pushing to be included, while Ayyoub Bouaddi may be signed in time to travel. More transfer business is expected to be concluded before the summer window is closed, but perhaps not in time to feature in this Premier League fixture.
Head to Head
Both Premier League matches between these teams ended in 3-0 wins for Manchester City last season.
Manchester City are unbeaten in 12 trips to Selhurst Park in all competitions and have won on 3 of the last 4 League visits to this part of South London.
Prediction
These two Premier League clubs are both operating under new managers in the 2026/27 season and they had contrasting results on the opening weekend of the campaign.
However, both Pierre Sage and Enzo Maresca will know that things could have been very different for Crystal Palace and Manchester City in those opening fixtures.
Crystal Palace were incredibly wasteful at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the 2-0 defeat, while Manchester City may have found themselves more than a single goal behind against Bournemouth if the visiting team had shown a bit more composure in the final third.
At the same time, both managers will have been pleased with some aspects of the opening weekend performances, although Sage and Maresca will be hoping the respective boards can back them up with more signings before this summer window is closed.
Pierre Sage and Enzo Maresca have big shoes to fill when thinking about the successes of the outgoing managers and that does build pressure.
The Eagles will be hoping they can call upon Ismaila Sarr this Friday, although that is perhaps unlikely, but they will also want to show more composure in the final third. There are areas of vulnerability to exploit, although Manchester City will head to South London in a similar mindset against this Crystal Palace defence that has yet to replace Maxence Lacroix.
An injury to Chadi Riad has only increased pressure on those at the back, although Manchester City still look very short in the prices to earn the three points at Selhurst Park. They should be able to create chances against Crystal Palace, but the defence has to be a lot better too and instead of backing a winner, it may be wiser to pick goals to be the outcome.
Chances created last week suggests the attackers may get the better of the defenders on Friday night as new managers try and get their ideas across to the players.
7 of the last 8 Premier League fixtures between the clubs have finished with at least three goals shared out and an early goal in this one may just spark another entertaining game. Both teams should have opportunities to get on the scoreboard, but there is also enough vulnerabilities at the back to imagine a situation where one team manages to surpass this total on their own.
It is more likely to be Manchester City if that is the case, but Crystal Palace should be able to play their part with a bit more attacking composure and backing goals is the play.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City
