Manchester City hope to secure their sixth straight win in the Premier League when they host Crystal Palace. Join The Roar from 11:45pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.
Currently three points behind top-of-the-table Chelsea, Manuel Pellegrini’s men can’t afford to drop any points if they wish to stay within reach of a second Premier League title in a row.
Manchester City will have to face Palace without star striker Sergio Aguero, who is nursing a knee injury which he suffered against Everton two weeks ago. He could be out for up to eight weeks. Aguero is currently the top scorer in this Premier League season, with 14 goals.
Despite not having Aguero up front, Pellegrini has plenty of goal scorers in his side, with Frank Lampard, Yaya Toure, Stevan Jovetić all having a reputation for finding the net. Edin Dzeko has scored in both his appearances against Crystal Palace, and will be looking to continue that trend should he be played.
Crystal Palace will be looking to position themselves further away from the relegation zone when they travel to the Etihad, the Eagles currently find themselves in 15th place, just one away from the bottom three.
After a draw against Stoke City in their last fixture which saw Palace score and concede in the spam of two minutes, Neil Warnock said he believes his side lack a prolific striker, and rumours are spreading that former Swansea star Michu could be set to join his side.
Having only won one of their past five Premier League games, Warnock’s concerns up front seem justified, and with Marouane Chamakh struggling to find the net as of late, a change in personnel may be just what the Eagles need to find winning form.
The last time these two sides faced each other was in April, when both Dzeko and Toure found the net in the first half for the Citizens, resulting in a 2-0 win for Manchester City at Selhurst Park.
Since 2004 these two teams have met five times, with Manchester City winning every single one of those encounters. Despite not having Aguero up front, this time around it should not be much different.
My prediction: Manchester City 2 – 0 Crystal Palace.
Will Manchester City climb closer to a second Premier League title in a row, or can Crystal Palace pull off an upset and move further away from relegation? Join us on The Roar from 11:45pm AEDT to find out.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Anything can happen in football I guess!
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Anything can happen in football huh?
Leon
Guest
wow I know this is random but ive just watched Auckland city-a team of pretty much amateurs have claimed 3rd place the Club World cup beating the CONCACAF champions Cruz Azul
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Thank you for joining us on The Roar for this live blog, we look forward to seeing you all again. Once again, the final score is Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
MATCH RESULT: After a slow start to the game from both sides, Manchester City came out swinging in the second half, applying pressure that payed off through a David Silva goal, which went in with a little bit of luck. Silva's second goal however was all class, capitalising well on the gaps they forced Palace to create after the first goal. Palace were unlucky to have a goal disallowed, a poor offside decision saw McArthur's great header denied, however there was no doubt about City's dominance. Yaya Toure smashed the ball into the net off the post to put the final nail in Crystal Palace's coffin, and City now sit on equal points with league leaders Chelsea. Neil Warnock will be upset with the assistant that denied his team, and he has been known to go off at referees in the past, however his side were poor in that second half and no one can deny that City deserved the three points. Palace now find themselves on the edge of the relegation zone, and depending on the results of the upcoming fixtures, could find themselves at the bottom of the table. Manchester City extend their impressive unbeaten streak and now go on to play West Bromwich Albion next week, Palace will host Southampton. The final score at the Etihad is, Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
The referee blows the final whistle. FULL TIME: Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90+2' - Fernando looks to make a break and wants to give the ball to Sinclair but he's in a offside position. Palace come up with a cross and end up with a corner late in the game that sees Bolasie try for an overhead kick. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Attendance: 46,000 Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace 90+1'
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
City pressing for a fourth goal now. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace 90+1 minutes played. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
There will be three minutes of added play. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace 90 minutes played.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
89' - SUBSTITUTION for Manchester City and Crystal Palace Changes from both teams sees Scott Sinclair come on for Samir Nasri and Ledley replaced by Barry Bannan. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
88' - Jedinak with an audacious attempt at goal that goes well over the bar. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
87' - Kolarov puts in a cross and Speroni does well to hold it. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
86' - Jedinak is okay as play is continued. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
86' - Jedinak is down as play is stopped, it looks like he was hit in the head with an arm by Fernandinho. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
85' - City are in complete control, when they don't have the ball, they are shutting down Palace with speed. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
83' - SUBSTITUTION for Crystal Palace Puncheon comes off for Jerome Thomas. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
82' - Puncheon's free kick is punched away by Joe Hart, Crystal Palace can not find a way through this half. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
81' - SUBSTITUTION for Manchester City Milner is replaced by Fernando. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
80' - GOAL for Manchester City Lampard wins the ball and passes off to Navas who runs down the field before giving the ball to Milner, who puts a nice ball into to Yaya Toure who smashes the ball off the post and into the net. City look destined for the three points and are one goal away from the top of the table. Manchester City 3 - 0 Crystal Palace