Saturday is FA Cup Final day, with Crystal Palace facing Manchester City at Wembley.
Palace will be looking to go one better than their previous two attempts. This is their third FA Cup Final and they have lost both. This was to City’s city rivals Manchester United in 1990 and 2016.
It will be tough against a City side that has won the FA Cup seven times. They have been in 14 finals, including last year’s when they lost 2-1 to United. This is City’s third successive FA Cup Final, having won the trophy by beating United 2-1 in 2023.
CRYSTAL PALACE VS MAN CITY PREVIEW
Manchester City have had a disappointing season by their usual high standards, but still sit in fourth place in the Premier League. They are unbeaten in eight league games, winning five, but a goalless draw against Southampton last time out suggests they had one eye on the cup final. This draw halted a run of four straight Premier League wins.
Crystal Palace’s 2-0 victory against Tottenham stopped a run of three straight draws in the top flight. It was also their first win in six games. Despite this, Palace have had a decent season. They are in 12th place in the Premier League. However, they will know that a win here is their only chance of qualifying for Europe next season.
The two sides last played each other last month. Goals from Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards saw Palace race into a two-goal lead at the Etihad. However, City were level by half-time through goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush. Three second-half goals saw the Manchester side run out 5-2 winners.
The two sides played out a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park back in December. Palace were twice in the lead through Daniel Muñoz and Maxence Lacroix, but were pegged back each time by Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis.
Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad and Adam Wharton all miss out for Crystal Palace at Wembley. This means Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma are likely to continue their midfield partnership.
Nathan Ake is certainly out for Man City, while John Stones and Oscar Bobb are likely absentees. Rodri could feature.
CRYSTAL PALACE VS MAN CITY – PREDICTIONS
Crystal Palace Win
Palace have saved some of their best performances for the FA Cup this season and have conceded just once in the competition. They demolished Aston Villa in the semi-finals 3-0.
Draw
The two sides played out a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park back in December, while three of the last seven meetings between the two sides have ended level.
Man City Win
City have won four of the last seven encounters between the two sides and haven’t lost any. They beat Palace 5-2 at the Etihad last month.
CRYSTAL PALACE VS MAN CITY – BETTING TIPS
Man City Win
City have both the pedigree and experience to claim their eighth FA Cup trophy on Saturday. While Palace were exemplary against Aston Villa in the last round and were adept against Tottenham last weekend, City are a step up. However, this isn’t to say it won’t be close. City were favourites against Manchester United in last year’s final and lost, while Southampton frustrated them in a goalless draw last week. If Palace can keep things tight at the back, they could cause problems.
Both Teams to Score – Yes
Both teams have scored in all of the last four Premier League encounters between the two sides. There have been 21 goals across these four fixtures and there is nothing to suggest it won’t be another high scoring encounter here. The return of Erling Haaland last week, even though he didn’t score, suggests City will be more potent in attack. Meanwhile, Palace’s Eberechi Eze has scored five goals in his last four games for the Selhurst Park outfit.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Crystal Palace and Manchester City have played each other 73 times, with City winning 39. Palace have won 17, while there have been 17 draws.
- City are unbeaten against Palace in their last seven games (W4 D3).
- Crystal Palace have only beaten Man City three times in the Premier League era.
- Crystal Palace are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time in their history, while City are looking to win it for the eighth time.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games and last 10 in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have only won one of their last six Premier League games (D3 L2), but this was last time out against Tottenham Hotspur. They haven’t been defeated in five games in all competitions.
