Pep Guardiola has outlined just why Crystal Palace will be such a tricky opponent for Manchester City on Saturday.
City face Palace at the Etihad Stadium in their fourth Premier League outing of the season, looking to get back to winning ways after playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle last weekend.
However, Guardiola will have to overcome something of a bogey team in order to keep up their strong start to the campaign. City failed to beat Patrick Vieira's side last season, losing 2-0 at home and drawing 0-0 at Selhurst Park. Pep was told that City have lost just two of their last 54 Premier League games that have kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday; both losses have come to Palace.
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"It’s a good record, to lose two out of 54 games," Guardiola said. "It's an incredible record. I would sign to have the next 54 games at home at 3pm and just lose two."
When asked how Palace might cause City problems, Guardiola admitted that they are a difficult team to beat.
"That [record] shows how good they are. With Roy Hodgson and now Patrick Vieira. They defend really well, their resilience and incredible amount of quality. From nothing they create something.
"Especially we have to be aware not to make mistakes because they are a side that defends the 18-yard box really well, good set pieces, good transitions. With [Jordan] Ayew, [Wilfried] Zaha especially, with [Eberechi] Eze, [Odsonne] Edouard, they have weapons, experienced players in the middle. Hopefully we can break them and win the game.
"We know how good they are, they are a tough side, we are looking forward to the challenge. I rate Vieira as a human being and the incredible job he is doing."
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