Crystal Palace welcome Manchester City to Selhurst Park on Friday, August 28, 2026, for Matchweek 2 of the Premier League season. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:00 BST.
The clubs made contrasting starts to the new campaign. Palace lost 2-0 away to Everton in Pierre Sage's first competitive league match as head coach, while Enzo Maresca began his Premier League tenure at City with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth.
Recent history favors City, who won both league meetings last season without conceding. Palace, however, have a significant recent success of their own: their 1-0 victory over City in the 2025 FA Cup final. With both teams adapting to new managers, Friday's meeting should reveal more about how quickly their new systems are developing.
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Head-to-Head Summary
Manchester City have controlled the majority of recent meetings.
Across the last 10 competitive matches:
Crystal Palace wins: 1
Manchester City wins: 6
Draws: 3
Crystal Palace goals: 11
Manchester City goals: 24
Palace's only victory in that sequence was arguably the most important: a 1-0 win at Wembley in the 2025 FA Cup final. In the Premier League, City have been much stronger. They defeated Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park last December before recording another 3-0 victory at the Etihad in May.
Last 10 Meetings
May 13, 2026 – Premier League: Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace
December 14, 2025 – Premier League: Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City
May 17, 2025 – FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City
April 12, 2025 – Premier League: Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace
December 7, 2024 – Premier League: Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City
April 6, 2024 – Premier League: Crystal Palace 2-4 Manchester City
December 16, 2023 – Premier League: Manchester City 2-2 Crystal Palace
March 11, 2023 – Premier League: Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City
August 27, 2022 – Premier League: Manchester City 4-2 Crystal Palace
March 14, 2022 – Premier League: Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City
City's six victories demonstrate their overall superiority, but Palace have occasionally made this matchup difficult. Three draws and the FA Cup final victory show they are capable of frustrating City when their defensive structure holds.
That has not happened recently in the league, however. City scored six unanswered goals across the two Premier League meetings last season.
Crystal Palace Current Form
Palace opened the season with a 2-0 defeat at Everton. The scoreline did not tell the entire story. Palace created opportunities in the first half and struck the woodwork twice but failed to convert their best moments before Everton took control.
Their last five competitive matches are:
Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace
Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace
That gives Palace one win, one draw and three defeats, with four goals scored and nine conceded. The 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final was an important high point, but Palace need greater attacking efficiency if they are to trouble City.
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Manchester City Current Form
City began their league campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Bournemouth, although the performance was far from comfortable. Bournemouth led from the 26th minute until Marc Guéhi equalised in the 84th. Joško Gvardiol then scored in stoppage time to complete the comeback.
City's last five competitive matches are:
Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth
Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City
Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa
Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City
Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
That produces two wins, one draw and two defeats. The Bournemouth match showed both encouraging resilience and areas Maresca still needs to improve. City struggled for long periods against Bournemouth's pressure before substitutes, particularly Rayan Cherki, helped change the game.
Crystal Palace Team News and Injuries
Pierre Sage has confirmed that Ismaïla Sarr and Chadi Riad will miss the match. Sarr remains sidelined by a groin problem. His absence takes away one of Palace's quickest attacking outlets and reduces their threat during transitions.
Riad suffered a knee injury against Everton. Palace are still assessing the extent of the problem, with no confirmed return date announced. The club moved quickly to strengthen the defence by signing Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea. Sage confirmed that Disasi has trained with his new teammates and could be involved against City, although his lack of recent competitive football may influence whether he starts.
Manchester City Team News and Injuries
Jérémy Doku is expected to remain unavailable because of the calf injury that kept him out of the Bournemouth match. Maresca previously indicated that the winger could be sidelined for two to three weeks.
City otherwise had most of their senior options available for their league opener, although several players are still building full match sharpness after returning late from the World Cup. New signing Ayyoub Bouaddi has joined from Lille, adding another midfield option as City continue reshaping the squad following several important summer departures.
Tactical Match Analysis
Palace's best opportunity may come from disrupting City's buildup and attacking quickly after turnovers. Bournemouth demonstrated that Maresca's new City structure can be unsettled by aggressive pressure. City struggled to establish complete control for much of their opening match and conceded after a defensive error.
Palace will want to create similar uncomfortable moments at Selhurst Park. The problem is that Sarr's absence removes an important source of pace. Players such as Yeremy Pino, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Jean-Philippe Mateta may therefore carry more responsibility when Palace move forward.
City should dominate possession, but simply having the ball will not be enough. Palace are comfortable defending with numbers behind it, and their 2025 FA Cup final victory demonstrated how dangerous they can be when a match remains tight.
Maresca also has several options for changing the attacking rhythm. Cherki was decisive from the bench against Bournemouth and could become particularly useful against a compact Palace defence. Set pieces deserve attention too. City equalised against Bournemouth through Guéhi's header from a Cherki corner, giving Palace another threat to manage.
Key Players to Watch
1. Jean-Philippe Mateta
Mateta gives Palace a physical focal point against City's centre-backs. If Palace spend long periods without possession, his ability to hold the ball and bring teammates into attacks will be important.
2. Yeremy Pino
With Sarr unavailable, Palace need other wide attackers to provide speed and creativity. Pino's ability to carry possession forward could help the hosts exploit spaces when City lose the ball.
3. Erling Haaland
Haaland had a quiet opening game by his standards but remains City's biggest penalty-area threat. Palace cannot allow City to repeatedly deliver the ball into areas where he can attack crosses or passes behind the defence.
4. Rayan Cherki
Cherki changed City's match against Bournemouth after coming off the bench, creating both late goals. His ability to find space between defensive lines could be particularly useful against Palace's compact shape.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The most relevant numbers favor Manchester City:
City have won six of the last 10 competitive meetings.
Palace have won once, with three draws.
City have outscored Palace 24-11.
City won both Premier League meetings last season 3-0.
Palace's only win in the last 10 came in the 2025 FA Cup final.
Palace lost their opening league match 2-0 at Everton.
City opened with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.
Palace have conceded nine goals across their last five competitive matches.
The H2H record clearly favors City, although Palace's cup-final victory remains evidence that they can make this matchup uncomfortable when they defend effectively.
Who Has the Advantage?
Manchester City have the clear statistical advantage. They have won six of the last 10 meetings, completed a league double over Palace last season and enter Friday's match after collecting three points from their opening fixture. Palace also have attacking and defensive absences to manage.
However, City's narrow victory over Bournemouth showed that Maresca's new system is still developing. Selhurst Park can also become difficult for visiting teams if Palace stay competitive deep into the match.
A draw is therefore realistic if Palace defend efficiently and make better use of their chances than they did against Everton. The overall evidence nevertheless favors City. Their superior recent H2H record, attacking depth and winning start give them the stronger position.
Conclusion
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City offers another early test for two clubs adapting to new managers.
Palace showed promising attacking moments against Everton but were punished for failing to convert them. The confirmed absences of Sarr and Riad add to Pierre Sage's challenge, although the arrival of Disasi provides another defensive option.
City were also imperfect in their opener, needing two late goals to overcome Bournemouth. Their ability to respond under pressure was encouraging, but Palace will have noticed the difficulties Maresca's team experienced earlier in that game.
Recent history remains the strongest indicator. City have won six of the last 10 competitive meetings and both league matches last season. Palace have proven they can upset them, most notably at Wembley in 2025, but Manchester City enter this fixture with the clearer statistical advantage.