Manchester City will host Crystal Palace

Aiming for a fourth consecutive win in the league, Manchester City will host Crystal Palace at the Etihad in a game from the 23th round of the Premier League. As usual, we are going to preview this clash for you in our English Premier League predictions.

Sadly for the current champion it’s just January, but Manchester City already look out of the title race. The Cityzens are 14 points behind the leader Liverpool and the Reds even have a game in hand. City are not having the most convincing season so far, but it’s also true that Liverpool are looking enormously strong at the moment.

Manchester City’s manager Josep Guardiola already admitted that his team can’t defend the title anymore. This means that City will concentrate their efforts at competitions like the Champions League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. But they still have to finish the Premier League season on a high note, too.

Last week Man City decided to have fun and show what they are capable of. The champions visited Aston Villa in Birmingham and scored six goals. Kun Aguero shined with a hattrick, while Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus also scored. It was a great game for City, there’s no doubt about that.

Crystal Palace arrive at the Etihad with the confidence of a team which is doing well in the league. Roy Hodgson’s team is currently 9th in the league with 29 points. This is a pretty great position for them, because their primary goal is just to survive. And they are doing well so far.

In conclusion we can say that Manchester City are the obvious favourite against Crystal Palace, but it also depends on their motivation for this game. What Pep Guardiola must do is find a way to motivate his players in a situation in which the Cityzens are not fighting for the title anymore.