Manchester City Face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park: Key Questions Ahead

Manchester City step into Selhurst Park on the back of three points and a few early-season questions. The champions escaped on opening day. They did not convince.

Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game in charge was supposed to be a statement. Instead, it turned into a rescue act. City trailed Bournemouth from the 26th minute, short of rhythm and short of ideas, until a former Crystal Palace defender dragged them out of trouble.

Marc Guéhi, repurposed as a holding midfielder, became the unlikely heartbeat of the comeback. He completed 56 of his 59 passes, won all three of his tackles and, with time draining away, rose to head in the 84th-minute equaliser. It was calm, authoritative work in a role that should have exposed him. It didn’t.

The game tilted again in stoppage time. Rayan Cherki, who had already changed the temperature of the contest from the moment he came on in the 63rd minute, delivered another telling ball. Josko Gvardiol arrived to complete a 2-1 turnaround that felt dramatic on the day and revealing in the cold light of the week. City still know how to win late. They also still give you a chance.

Maresca’s midfield puzzle is far from solved. Guéhi’s assured display in that deeper role gives the Italian a fresh option, but it also comes with a fresh headache. Elliot Anderson, the £116 million summer signing meant to be a central pillar of this new era, is listed as unavailable with a knee issue and will miss the trip to Selhurst Park. That is a major hole in a key area of the pitch.

Then there is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian marked his 200th club appearance with one of his quieter afternoons. He struggled to impose himself, starved of service at times, smothered at others. For a striker who usually bends matches to his will, it was an unusually muted outing. He will expect – and be expected – to respond.

Across London, Crystal Palace arrive with their own bruises.

A 2-0 home defeat to Everton does not tell the full story of Pierre Sage’s side. Palace had 58% of the ball, moved it with purpose and twice rattled the woodwork. They carved out enough to take something from the game. Instead, defensive errors left them chasing, and Goodison’s visitors punished every lapse.

There were bright sparks amid the frustration. Adam Wharton dictated spells of play with the composure of a far older midfielder, always showing, always offering a passing lane. Eddie Nketiah looked sharp, constantly darting into gaps and forcing Jordan Pickford into an excellent save. Jean-Philippe Mateta, caught in the middle of an off-field contract dispute, still found time to crash a shot off the post.

The damage, though, ran deeper than the scoreline. Chadi Riad’s serious knee injury, suffered in that Everton defeat, strips Palace of a key defensive presence. Stretchered off and now ruled out of the City clash, he leaves a reshaped back line to face the most ruthless attack in the division.

Up front, uncertainty clouds the picture. Ismaïla Sarr missed the Everton match while talks with Galatasaray continue, and his future remains unresolved. For a side already walking a fine line in attack, that kind of doubt is the last thing Sage needs.

History does not offer much comfort. Palace have lost four of their last six meetings with City in all competitions. They know the pattern: long spells without the ball, isolated counter-attacks, one lapse punished. Yet this is not an invincible City rolling into south London. Maresca’s team have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven consecutive matches and still look vulnerable when opponents break with speed and conviction.

That is the sliver of encouragement for Palace. If they can press with the aggression shown against Everton, if Wharton can find Nketiah and Mateta early, if the crowd senses hesitation in that reshaped City midfield, Selhurst Park can turn into a very awkward afternoon for the champions.

City remain favourites. They usually are. But between Anderson’s absence, Guéhi’s new role, Haaland’s need to ignite and a defence still searching for its first shutout of the season, this trip carries an edge.

The champions escaped on opening day. At Selhurst, can they keep living that dangerously?