Manchester City will be looking to make it six straight victories in all competitions when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, agencies report. Pep Guardiola's side moved above Leicester City into second spot in the table last weekend, but they are still 14 points off leaders Liverpool, while Palace occupy ninth following a solid campaign to date.
There is no getting away from the fact that City have not been at their best this season, and it seems incredible to think that a team with their talent has suffered five Premier League defeats already this term. The Citizens could win each of their remaining 16 matches of the 2019-20 campaign and are still unlikely to get anywhere near Liverpool, though, as Jurgen Klopp's side have a 14-point advantage with a game in hand.
Incredibly, no side in the Premier League has scored fewer goals than Palace during the 2019-20 campaign, with Roy Hodgson's team finding the back of the net on just 20 occasions in their 22 matches. Cenk Tosun has arrived on loan from Everton in the hope of boosting their output in the final third, while it would also be fair to say that the fans will be looking for more from Wilfried Zaha over the next few months.
Indeed, as talented as the Ivorian is, he has only contributed three goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, which is simply not enough for a player with his skill set. The capital outfit have actually only won one of their last eight in the league, which came at home to West Ham United on Boxing Day. They have been the draw
specialists in many ways having shared the points in five of their last eight fixtures in England's top flight. There is no question that Hodgson would take a point at the Etihad Stadium, and a positive result this weekend would lead them nicely into back-to-back home fixtures with Southampton and Sheffield United.
Palace will again travel without a number of key players, though, and it is difficult to imagine City not putting another win on the board due to their excellent form in recent weeks.City will again be without the services of Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane through injury, but Guardiola otherwise has a full selection to choose from.
Raheem Sterling is likely to return to the starting XI having been given a rest against Villa, although Bernardo Silva might have to accept a spot on the bench once again due to Mahrez's form. Indeed, the Algeria international has managed two goals and three assists in his last three league outings, in addition to a goal against Manchester United in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
John Stones could again keep his spot at the heart of the defence, while David Silva is expected to get the nod over Ilkay Gundogan in central midfield with the home side expected to dominate the ball. Palace, meanwhile, could hand a full debut to Tosun following his arrival on loan from Everton.
The Eagles still have a whole host of players on the treatment table, though, with Andros Townsend, Jeffrey Schlupp, Joel Ward, Christian Benteke, Patrick van Aanholt, Mamadou Sakho and Max Meyer all out. Key midfielder Luka Milivojevic is suspended, meanwhile, meaning that James McCarthy, James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyate are likely to continue as the midfield three. Further forward, Jordan Ayew could shift into a wide position to allow for Tosun to lead the attack.
