Manchester City must put their midweek Champions League disappointment behind them ahead of a Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s men have their European hopes hanging by a thread after a 1-0 loss to Tottenham on Tuesday and face a difficult few days as they aim to keep their quadruple challenge alive.
A slip either against the Eagles at the weekend or Spurs in the second leg of their quarter-final next Wednesday could be fatal as they chase history.
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The hosts may only be playing for pride, but the incentive of upsetting the champions will be motivation enough for Roy Hodgson’s side.
| Game | Crystal Palace vs Manchester City |
| Date | Sunday, April 14 |
| Time | 2:05pm BST / 9:05am EST |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched on Universo or NBCSN. It can be streamed via Universo Now, NBCSports.com or NBC Sports Live.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Universo / NBCSN | Universo Now / NBC Sports Live / NBCSports.com |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. It can be streamed via Sky GO Extra.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Premier League / Sky Sports Main Event | Sky Go Extra |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Crystal Palace players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Hennessey, Guaita, Speroni |
| Defenders | Riedewald, Dann, Van Aanholt, Souare, Wan-Bissaka, Ward, Kelly |
| Midfielders | Milivojevic, Kouyate, McArthur, Schlupp, Meyer, Kaikai, Townsend, Sako |
| Forwards | Zaha, Benteke, Ayew, Wickham, Batshuayi |
Confirmed Crystal Palace starting XI: Guita; Wan-Bissaka, Kelly, Dann, Van Aaholt; Townsend, Milivojevic, McArthur, Schlupp, Zaha; Benteke
| Position | Manchester City players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Grimshaw, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Laporte, Sandler, Garcia, Stones, Delph, Otamendi, Kompany, Zinchenko, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Sterling, Gundogan, Sane, B. Silva, D. Silva, Mahrez, Foden, Fernandinho, De Bruyne |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus |
Confirmed City starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany (C), Laporte, Mendy; Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne; Sane, Aguero, Sterling
Betting & Match Odds
Man City are 3/10 favourites for the win according to bet365. Crystal Palace can be backed at 10/1, while a draw is available at 5/1.
Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
Manchester City’s fight on three fronts promises to stretch the depth of Pep Guardiola’s squad over the course of the coming weeks.
That much was evident on Wednesday as they suffered a 1-0 reverse against Tottenham in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg encounter, which saw stars such as John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane left on the bench as the Catalan juggles European progress with a Premier League title defence that has been complicated by Liverpool’s fine form.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, however, provided a different assessment of what went wrong for the Citizens.
“I have the feeling that we are nervous in important Champions League games. We have always made the wrong decisions,” he told SportBild.
“In such games, we always want to do something special because it means: Champions League semi-finals. Sometimes, less is more.
“That must not happen to a big team. That’s why we’re not there yet.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, has insisted all along that winning four trophies – the Carabao Cup is already in the cabinet – is a virtually impossible feat, but after winning six titles with Barcelona in 2009, he is a coach capable of such magic.
Room for error in the Premier League is virtually nil, with Liverpool currently top by two points, albeit having played a game extra.
Hoping to throw a spanner in their works is a Crystal Palace side already assured of its place in the top flight next season, having beaten Newcastle 1-0 last weekend at St James’ Park to take their points tally up to 39.
Indeed, Roy Hodgson’s men have won two of their last three Premier League outings and have been defeated in only three of their last 10, suggesting that they will be no pushovers.
With City’s quadruple bid in the balance, approaching this match at anything less than 100 per cent focus will be a very dangerous tactic indeed.
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