- Jeremy Doku could be Manchester City’s X-factor.
- Why Bernardo Silva will be key against Crystal Palace.
- The defender Erling Haaland could exploit.
Manchester City will be gearing up to win all their battles on the pitch against Crystal Palace as they intend to stay alive in the race for the Premier League crown this season.
With Arsenal beating West Ham United 1-0 on Sunday, all eyes will be on whether City can respond with a victory or potentially hand the title to Mikel Arteta and Co.
While Pep Guardiola could rotate his side against Palace, it is difficult to imagine the two-time treble-winner changing a winning formula excessively following the Sky Blues’ 3-0 triumph against Brentford.
Three battles in particular could determine the fate of Wednesday’s contest even though Guardiola crediting Manchester City’s mindset on Saturday suggests his side are ready for the fight.
Jeremy Doku vs Daniel Munoz
Jeremy Doku has a strong case for being Manchester City’s best attacker this season and against Brentford, that was evidence yet again as he broke the deadlock for his side with a peach of a strike.
Pep Guardiola lauded Doku and claimed that the Belgian can hit the heights of elite wingers such as Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr due to his insatiable desire to improve.
The former Rennes dribbler could cause Daniel Munoz a world of problems, considering the wing-back’s forays into the opposition half means he leaves plenty of space for wide players to exploit.
| Jeremy Doku in the last six games | Stats |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 2 |
With Doku registering five goals and two assists in his last six appearances, not many full-backs would like to face Manchester City’s in-form number 11.
Bernardo Silva vs Adam Wharton
Adam Wharton pulls the strings for Crystal Palace and usually, when the Englishman is on his A-game, so are the Eagles.
Considering Nico Gonzalez was benched against Brentford and may not start once again at the Etihad Stadium, Bernardo Silva might have a chunk of the responsibility to keep Wharton quiet.
Tijjani Reijnders, who took Nico’s place is yet to convince defensively in particular and if he retains his place in City’s side, Bernardo and Wharton may be engulfed in an old-school midfield battle.
Erling Haaland vs Maxence Lacroix
Erling Haaland was on fire against Brentford, as he doubled Manchester City’s lead before setting up Omar Marmoush’s goal as well. Haaland could be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Maxence Lacroix, who has had a ropey couple of weeks recently.
On the weekend, Beto ran rings around Lacroix before firing Everton back into the eventual 2-2 draw between the Toffees and Crystal Palace.
While against AFC Bournemouth as well, the Frenchman failed to track Rayan’s run and allowed the Brazilian to triple his side’s lead.
With Haaland returning to form and Lacroix looking off the pace, the star striker could potentially make life hell for the defender if he has another tough day at the office.
