Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: Prediction, Lineups & Kickoff Time | Premier League 2025/26

On: December 12, 2025 2:11 AM

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Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Match Preview

A massive top-four clash takes place at Selhurst Park on Sunday, 14 December 2025. Crystal Palace are enjoying a sensational season, sitting 4th in the table with 26 points and dreaming of Champions League football. Manchester City, currently 2nd with 31 points, are in relentless pursuit of the league leaders and arrive in London fresh off a massive 2–1 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League. With Palace missing several key starters through injury, can Oliver Glasner’s high-flying Eagles upset the champions, or will Pep Guardiola’s machine roll on?

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Match Info

Competition: Premier League (Matchday 16)
Venue: Selhurst Park, London (Capacity: 25,486)
Date: Sunday, 14 December 2025
Kickoff: 14:00 GMT | 15:00 CET | 19:30 IST
Referee: Darren England (ENG)

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Match Stakes

Crystal Palace (4th — 26 pts):

Win → Moves to 29 pts; solidifies their shock hold on a Top 4 spot
Draw → A huge point against the champions; keeps momentum high
Loss → Could drop to 5th or 6th if Chelsea or other chasers win

Manchester City (2nd — 31 pts):

Win → Moves to 34 pts; keeps pressure on the league leaders (likely Arsenal/Liverpool)
Draw → Two points dropped in the title race; allows rivals to pull away
Loss → A major setback; gap to the top could widen to 4+ points

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Team News

Crystal Palace:

Munoz D. — Out (Knee Injury)
Sarr I. — Out (Ankle Injury)
Doucoure C. — Out (Knee Injury)
Riad C. — Out (Knee Injury)
Canvot J. — Questionable (Illness)

Manchester City:

Rodri — Out (Thigh Injury – Huge Loss)
Kovacic M. — Out (Heel Injury)
Stones J. — Out (Injury)

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)

Crystal Palace

07/12 — 2–1 vs Fulham (Premier League)
04/12 — 1–0 vs Burnley (Premier League)
30/11 — 1–2 vs Manchester Utd (Premier League)
28/11 — 1–2 vs Strasbourg (UECL)
22/11 — 2–0 vs Wolves (Premier League)

Manchester City

11/12 — 2–1 vs Real Madrid (Champions League)
06/12 — 3–0 vs Sunderland (Premier League)
03/12 — 5–4 vs Fulham (Premier League)
29/11 — 3–2 vs Leeds (Premier League)
26/11 — 0–2 vs Bayer Leverkusen (Champions League)

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)

17/05/2025 — Crystal Palace 1–0 Man City (FA Cup Final)
12/04/2025 — Man City 5–2 Crystal Palace (Premier League)
07/12/2024 — Crystal Palace 2–2 Man City (Premier League)
06/04/2024 — Crystal Palace 2–4 Man City (Premier League)
16/12/2023 — Man City 2–2 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)

Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)

Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Mitchell, Wharton, Hughes, Kamada; Eze, Nketiah; Mateta

Manchester City (4-1-4-1)

Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Impact Bench

Crystal Palace: Clyne (Experience at RWB), Franca (Late dribbling threat)

Manchester City: Grealish (Control vs tired legs), Silva (Tactical flexibility)

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Tactical Analysis

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner will stick to his disciplined 3-4-2-1. Without Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr, they lose significant pace on the right. Tyrick Mitchell will need to be disciplined on the left to stop Savinho. Palace will look to exploit the space behind City’s high line using Jean-Philippe Mateta’s hold-up play and Eberechi Eze’s transition dribbling. They are deadly on the counter but must survive wave after wave of City possession.

Manchester City

Without Rodri and Kovacic, City’s midfield balance is delicate. Pep Guardiola will likely use Rico Lewis to invert alongside Ilkay Gundogan to control the center. City have been leaking goals recently (8 conceded in last 5 league games), playing into Palace’s hands. Expect them to overload the wings to stretch Palace’s back five before cutting back for Haaland.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Key Battles

Guehi vs Haaland — the league’s best defender vs best striker
Wharton vs De Bruyne — young talent vs veteran master
Mitchell vs Savinho — pace battle on the flank
Mateta vs Dias — physical duel for long balls

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Spotlight Players

Crystal Palace — Eberechi Eze

With Sarr and Olise (sold) gone, Eze is the main man. His ability to glide past players in tight spaces is Palace’s best hope of breaking City’s press.

Manchester City — Erling Haaland

The Norwegian machine is always the danger, but he has struggled at Selhurst Park in the past. With Palace sitting deep, his movement in the box will need to be perfect to find the net.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Prediction

Crystal Palace 1–2 Manchester City

Palace have been brilliant this season, but the injury list is mounting at the wrong time. City are riding high after beating Real Madrid and usually find a way in these tight title-race games. It will be close, but City’s bench depth should win it late on.