Manchester City will continue their title hunt on Saturday afternoon when they take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Currently five points behind Arsenal, City remained hot on the tails of their title rivals in their last outing, with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva getting on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win over Newcastle. Pep Guardiola has been handed a boost as Foden was involved in training ahead of the clash with Palace.
In recent years, Palace have proven a bit of a bogey team for City, with Guardiola's side only winning five of the previous 10 meetings against the Eagles. Patrick Vieira's side almost caused a problem for City in the previous meeting this season, but an Erling Haaland hat-trick helped City come from two goals behind to win 4-2.
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So, could City overcome Palace on Saturday? Let's take a look.
Crystal Palace vs City score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Ake; Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
We predict that the visitors could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Lokonga; Ayew, Olise, Eze; Zaha.
City almost had a disastrous start to the game when a mistake at the back allowed Wilfried Zaha to surge through one-on-one with Ederson, but his curling effort struck the post, and City escaped. As the first half went on, Guardiola's side started to control the game, and after a relatively quiet 30 minutes, Haaland found the opener.
Jack Grealish cut in from the left in trademark fashion before surging into the box, but the forward was quickly closed down by a sea of defenders, and the ball became loose in a dangerous position. Haaland used his strength to hold off the Palace shirts and pick up possession, and with his back to the net, the striker twisted before firing a shot towards goal and catching the 'keeper by surprise.
The elevation of the shot beat Vicente Guaita, and City took the lead. After going one goal ahead, City dominated the game, and they came inches away from making it 2-0 in the 66th minute, but Kevin De Bruyne was denied by a great save.
De Bruyne made a deep run into the box, and Grealish picked out the run of the City captain with a delicious cross to the back post. The Belgian managed to get in front of his man and direct a header towards goal, but some incredible reflexes saw the 'keeper tip his effort around the post.
City were finding it hard to break down the Palace back line, but they remained wary of the host's threat as Zaha came close two times in the final 15 minutes. Despite not being able to add a second, City defended well and left Selhurst Park with a well-earned three points.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City
FIFA 23 predicts that City could be pushed to their limits on Saturday, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the simulation. Erling Haaland's first-half strike was enough to claim a big victory in south London, but it wasn't easy, with Palace's blunt defence limiting the number of big chances that fell City's way.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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