13 May 2026

Man City vs Crystal Palace preview: lineups, odds, Sofascore Rating

Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium for a Premier League Round 31 matchup in the 25/26 season. The game is not started at the time of writing, but the trends are clear. City bring volume, control and goals, while Palace arrive with defensive grit and set-piece potential. You can follow the action, live momentum and post-match Sofascore Rating breakdowns on Sofascore.

What the numbers say

City have scored 72 goals and conceded 32 across 35 matches, backed by 60.54% average possession and 88.54% pass accuracy from 20,582 total passes. They create a lot, posting 114 big chances and 549 shots, with 193 on target. There is a slight wastefulness to fix, with 72 big chances missed and 17 times hitting the woodwork.

Palace have 38 goals for and 44 against, with 46.74% possession and 78.45% pass accuracy from 13,967 passes. They have produced 93 big chances but missed 63, so conversion is the theme. Their defense clears its lines often, 1,173 clearances, and the goalkeepers have made 102 saves.

Likely lineups and shapes

Lineups are not confirmed. The current selection lists City in a 4-2-3-1: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Marc Guéhi, Nathan Aké, Nico O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva, Nico González; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jérémy Doku; Erling Haaland.

Crystal Palace are listed in a 3-4-2-1: Dean Henderson; Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jaydee Canvot; Daniel Muñoz, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Ismaïla Sarr, Brennan Johnson; Jørgen Strand Larsen.

Match tendencies to watch

City’s control is built on territory and volume. They have 220 corners, 376 successful dribbles and 42 fast breaks that produced 9 goals. Aerials are a quiet strength too, with 57.80% of aerial duels won and 9 headed goals.

Palace can be dangerous in transition and from crosses. They have 572 total crosses, 132 accurate, plus 34 fast breaks. In duels, they sit close to break-even at 49.11%, which makes second balls a key battleground. City’s 15 clean sheets meet Palace’s 12, so one early chance could shape the rhythm.

Sofascore Rating leaders

City’s team average Sofascore Rating sits at 7.02. Within the listed XI, Jérémy Doku has the highest current number at 7.47, followed by Erling Haaland at 7.32 and Rayan Cherki at 7.23. Those Ratings hint at where City’s ball-carrying and finishing might come from.

Palace’s team average is 6.82. Adam Wharton leads their listed group at 7.05, with Daniel Muñoz at 6.97 and Dean Henderson at 6.95. If Palace are to frustrate City, that spine looks important on paper.

Odds and referee watch

Full-time odds show Manchester City as heavy favorites at 1/5, the draw at 13/2 and a Palace win at 11/1. The Asian handicap points to City pressure too, priced around City -2 at 7/8 and Palace +2 at 39/40.

Stuart Attwell is assigned as referee. Across 444 games he has shown 1,551 yellow cards and 41 reds, which works out to roughly three to four yellows per match. Discipline in both boxes will matter if the tempo rises.

Final thoughts

City’s combination of possession play, chance creation and fast-break threat is a lot to handle at the Etihad Stadium. Palace counter with structure, active wing-backs and efficiency on restarts. Track live swings, key stats and every post-match Sofascore Rating on Sofascore once the whistle blows.