Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: Premier League Clash at Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park under floodlights. A new Premier League season just finding its rhythm. And the champions rolling into town with history, firepower and a point to prove.

Crystal Palace host Manchester City on Friday, August 28, with an 8pm kick-off in south London. Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will carry it live in the UK. The venue is familiar. The storyline, too: City haven’t lost a league game at Selhurst Park in 11 visits, winning eight of them.

Palace, though, arrive with more questions than answers.

Palace’s bright play, blunt edge

Pierre Sage has barely had time to unpack in south London and already his in-tray is overflowing.

Palace opened their league campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Everton, a scoreline that didn’t tell the whole story. They carved out 11 attempts, hit the woodwork through Jean-Philippe Mateta and still walked away empty-handed, with only three efforts on target to show for their pressure.

Mateta’s future hangs over the club. The striker is contesting the validity of his contract and attracting interest from elsewhere. On the flanks, Ismaila Sarr has been the subject of more speculation, with reports he missed two days of training before the Everton trip and was left out of the squad.

Sage, fresh from a superb 2025-26 season at Lens in which he finished second in Ligue 1 and lifted the French Cup, now has to juggle tactical tweaks, transfer noise and the small matter of a looming Europa League campaign, earned via Palace’s Conference League triumph last season.

It is a big job. And City are a brutal early test.

Chadi Riad (knee) and Sarr (groin) are likely to miss out. Sage is expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1:

Henderson; Canvot, Richards, Tomiyasu; Munoz, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Nketiah, Pino; Strand Larsen.
Subs: Khalaili, Sosa, Mingueza, Mateta, Hughes, Guessand, McNeil.

Maresca’s City still finding their shape

On the opposite bench, Enzo Maresca steps into the Selhurst Park dugout with a different kind of pressure.

He has replaced Pep Guardiola with the benefit of knowing Manchester City from the inside, having previously worked on the backroom staff. His spells at Leicester and Chelsea divided opinion, but he carries a clear belief in his ideas and, crucially, the trust of a club that has dominated the last decade.

Not that everything has been smooth. City were flat in a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and looked vulnerable again when they fell behind to Bournemouth last Sunday.

Then the cavalry arrived.

Rayan Cherki came off the bench, changed the game and delivered two assists in a 2-1 comeback win. All 12 of his Premier League assists have come from open play, and that creativity should earn him a start on Friday.

Maresca’s selection at Bournemouth raised eyebrows. Former Palace captain Marc Guehi was deployed in midfield, a possible nudge to the board after Rodri’s departure and with Nico Gonzalez also expected to leave. Ayyoub Bouaddi has arrived as a teenager for the future, but that alone will not patch every hole in a squad that has also lost Savio and Omar Marmoush.

Even so, City travel with depth, pedigree and that long unbeaten league run in SE25.

Matheus Nunes, who came off the bench against Bournemouth, could return to the XI. Bouaddi may be available, while Jeremy Doku (calf) is out and Elliot Anderson (cramp) could feature.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Anderson, O’Reilly; Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland.
Subs: Lewis, Ait-Nouri, Reis, Khusanov, Kovacic, Bouaddi, Grealish.

Goals, history and a familiar menace

This fixture usually delivers.

The last six league meetings between Palace and City have all produced at least three goals. City’s record at Selhurst Park in the league reads 11 unbeaten away games, eight of them victories. The champions know this ground, know how to handle its noise, and usually find a way to quieten it.

And then there is Erling Haaland.

He drew a blank against Bournemouth but still forced two saves. His record against Palace is savage: eight goals in five Premier League appearances, scoring in all four games he has played at Selhurst Park.

He is the obvious threat. He is also the obvious bet. Haaland anytime scorer is trading at 10-11 with Ladbrokes and Coral.

Betting angles: City’s edge and Cherki’s spark

Everything points to another open contest. City’s attacking quality, Palace’s willingness to play on the front foot and the defensive uncertainties on both sides suggest chances.

The standout pick is Manchester City to win and over 2.5 goals in the match, priced at 13-10 with bet365. City’s superiority, their unbeaten league record at Selhurst Park and the goal-laden recent history between these sides all feed into that angle.

For those building a same-game bet, three threads stand out:

• Manchester City to win – backed by that 11-game unbeaten league run at Selhurst Park.
• Rayan Cherki to provide an assist – the Frenchman delivered both assists against Bournemouth and should be trusted with a start.
• Tyrick Mitchell to commit two or more fouls – the Palace left-sided defender gave away two fouls at Everton and will likely be stretched again by City’s wide rotations.

That combination pays around 20-1 with bet365.

Key numbers

• City are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League away games at Selhurst Park, winning eight.
• The last six league meetings between these clubs have all seen three or more goals.
• Haaland has scored in every one of his five Premier League appearances against Palace, eight goals in total.
• All 12 of Cherki’s Premier League assists have come from open play.

Odds snapshot

Match betting with bet365 at the time of writing:

• Crystal Palace 4-1
• Manchester City 3-5
• Draw 3-1

Palace have the atmosphere, the new manager and the sense of something building. City bring the muscle memory of champions and a striker who treats Selhurst Park like his personal playground.

On a Friday night in south London, which story takes hold?