Crystal Palace's Stumble and Haaland's Response: Match Preview

Crystal Palace have started the season with a stumble and the timing could hardly be worse. A poor opening away to Everton has already sharpened the sense of vulnerability around the squad, and the noise over Liverpool’s interest in Ismaila Sarr only twists the tension a little tighter.

They know the one thing they cannot do before the window shuts: watch their best players walk out of the door. Results can be repaired, form can turn, but lose the key men now and the entire campaign tilts. Even so, there’s enough attacking spark in this Palace side to suggest they carry a goal threat in almost any game. The problem is what happens at the other end.

Manchester City arrive from a win over Bournemouth that was solid rather than slick. They got the job done, but it never quite purred. Mark Guehi’s deployment in midfield gave the performance an awkward edge, a tactical tweak that left observers wondering what Mateo Kovacic made of it all as he watched the experiment unfold.

Now City have added the highly rated Ayyoub Bouaddi into the mix. The talent is obvious; the adaptation will take time. Pep Guardiola rarely rushes a youngster into the furnace, especially in a side already loaded with nuance and responsibility in every position.

This does not feel like a fixture City will simply stroll through. Palace, wounded and wary of losing more than just points, should offer resistance. They have enough about them to land a punch.

But then there is Erling Haaland.

He drew a blank last weekend, an event notable precisely because it happens so rarely. For a striker of his ruthlessness, a goalless outing usually triggers a sharp response. City may look a touch disjointed in phases, they may be “pushed”, but with Haaland hunting and the champions still finding their rhythm, the smart money says they find a way.

The expectation? Palace to score, City to win. Sutton’s prediction: 1-3.