Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: Maresca’s Challenge in South London
Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City project is only one league game old, but the scrutiny has already started. A late win over Bournemouth steadied any early nerves. Selhurst Park on Friday night will test how solid that footing really is.
City’s 2-1 victory on the opening weekend looked tighter on the scoreboard than it did on the pitch. They controlled the game, seeing 66% of the ball, generating 2.36 expected goals and forcing six shots on target. The breakthrough didn’t come until the 84th minute, yet City never really loosened their grip.
Crystal Palace had the opposite experience. They lost 2-0 to Everton but carried the greater attacking threat for long spells, posting 2.04 xG to Everton’s 1.16. The numbers said they should have been in the game. The scoreline said otherwise.
Palace’s cutting edge goes missing
Palace’s wastefulness had a clear root. Ismaila Sarr, their 21-goal top scorer from last season and the man who so often turns pressure into points, was missing with a groin injury. The winger, linked with Liverpool over the summer, didn’t even make the squad. Without him, Palace looked busy, but blunt.
Chadi Riad is also sidelined, further thinning Oliver Glasner’s options. Against most sides, that’s a problem. Against last season’s runners-up, it’s a potential fault line.
History doesn’t offer much comfort either. Since that famous FA Cup final win over City in 2025, Palace have been hit with back‑to‑back 3-0 defeats by the same opponent. Their league record is even harsher: no Premier League victory over City since October 2021 and just two wins in their last 22 meetings.
The wider form book is equally unforgiving. Palace are eight league games without a win, a run stretching back to the tail end of the 2025-26 campaign. The atmosphere at Selhurst will be fierce as ever, but the numbers are cold.
A vulnerable giant?
If Palace need a sliver of encouragement, they’ll find it in City’s away form. The eight-time Premier League winners have taken maximum points from only four of their last 10 league trips. They still dominate the ball, still suffocate opponents, but the ruthless edge on the road has flickered.
Maresca also has selection puzzles. Jeremy Doku is unlikely to feature as he nurses a calf issue, removing one of City’s most direct threats from the left. The intrigue lies with Ayyoub Bouaddi. The £86 million signing is already available, Maresca has confirmed, and his debut would inject fresh energy into a side still adjusting to a new voice on the touchline.
Win here, and Maresca strengthens his grip on the narrative, pushing talk of Pep Guardiola’s shadow a little further into the background. Drop points, and the questions about succession and standards will return quickly.
The bookmakers have nailed their colours to the mast. BOYLE Sports rate City as strong favourites at 8/13 (1.61), with Palace out at 15/4 (4.75) for a home upset.
Selhurst Park has seen its share of shocks against the league’s elite. The question now is whether a Palace side short on wins, and without their main finisher, can exploit a City team still learning to live under new management.
