Crystal Palace vs Manchester City predictions and betting tips – Guardiola’s side eye top spot

Dec 14, 2025 - 09:15

Manchester City closed the gap at the top of the Premier League last weekend. They now trail Arsenal in top spot by just two points, although that margin may have widened by the time this match kicks off.

Will City keep the pressure on Arsenal by winning in south London, or will Crystal Palace triumph in front of their own supporters?

Manchester City to win – 10/11 with Spreadex
Manchester City to win the second half – 6/5 with Midnite
Erling Haaland to score any time – 4/5 with bet365

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City odds

Find the latest Crystal Palace vs Manchester City betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Stay in play between matches with Betway’s casino!

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City predictions

Manchester City have not had everything their own way in the first few months of 2025/26, but Pep Guardiola will be pleased with the position his side are in going into this weekend.

Their most recent outing brought a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, as City came from behind at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu to pile the pressure on Xabi Alonso.

A few days before their trip to the Spanish capital, City beat Sunderland 3-0 in the Premier League to move within two points of top spot.

Arsenal’s defeat by Aston Villa in last Saturday’s early kick-off opened the door to City, who promptly walked straight through it.

Every manager wants to be top of the league, but you get the sense that Guardiola would not mind sitting in second for a while.

Arsenal are desperate to win their first title since 2004. They have finished as runners-up for three consecutive campaigns and are the bookmakers’s favourites to claim the prize this term.

In other words, the pressure is on Arsenal. City will be content to sit on their shoulder, ready to pounce whenever the Gunners slip up.

They might not, of course. Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League so far this season. They have the deepest squad too, and that could be a factor in their favour as time goes on.

But over a 38-game season City will bank on their experience and knowhow, as Guardiola himself hinted at last weekend.

“From my experience – I’m sorry I don’t want to feel arrogant but I have quite experience of winning Premier Leagues and titles – it’s the consistency,” he said after the triumph over Sunderland.

“And consistency comes just from one thing: the way you play. Not from a result one day, or a victory to go two points behind or four points in front, it’s the consistency to be how you perform, how much you grow during the year.”

With Arsenal hosting last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday night, City will probably be five points adrift of the Gunners at kick-off at Selhurst Park.

However, Guardiola’s side are due to play before Arsenal next weekend. If they were to beat Palace on Sunday and then get the better of West Ham United six days later, City would be top by the time Arsenal’s game against Everton gets under way on matchday 17. Now that is pressure.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City betting tips

It is fourth against second in the Premier League as Crystal Palace host Manchester City.

Man City to edge it

Crystal Palace are no pushovers.

Fourth in the Premier League, they are one of the toughest teams to play against right now, as evidenced by the fact only Arsenal have lost fewer games in 2025/26.

Oliver Glasner’s side famously got the better of Manchester City in the FA Cup final, and they are more than capable of doing so again here.

Having said that, we expect City to edge this one. Palace have looked tired of late and they were in European action on Thursday night, 24 hours later than City.

It will be close, but City have what it takes to get the job done in south London.

Back Manchester City to win at 10/11 with Spreadex

Palace could tire

Crystal Palace are in Europe for the first time ever, while they are one of eight teams still in the EFL Cup.

The games have come thick and fast since August and fatigue may be catching up with them. In recent games against Manchester United and Burnley, Palace noticeably dipped in the second half.

Indeed, while they sit second in the first-half table, Palace are eighth in the equivalent rankings for the second period.

Guardiola has a much deeper squad at his disposal than Glasner, so City should come on strong as this match wears on.

Tip Manchester City to win the second half at 6/5 with Midnite

Haaland to return to scoresheet

Erling Haaland scored Manchester City’s winning goal at the Bernabeu to continue his magnificent start to the season.

His 21 appearances in all competitions have yielded 21 goals, 15 of which have come in 15 Premier League matches.

Haaland has actually scored just once in his last four league games, but he is bound to improve on that record soon.

Palace have the second-best defensive record in the division, but even that might not be enough to halt Haaland.

Choose Erling Haaland to score any time at 4/5 with bet365

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City predicted lineups

Crystal Palace expected lineup: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Pino, Uche, Nketiah.
Manchester City expected lineup: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.

Where to watch Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Location: Selhurst Park, London, England.
Date and time: Sunday 14th December, 2pm.
How to watch: Sky Sports Premier League.

More Premier League predictions

We have plenty more Premier League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chase their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.