Crystal Palace vs. Man City Prediction, Picks, XIs for EPL – Friday, August 28

Friday’s Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Man City is set to kick off at 3 p.m. ET. Manchester City enters the fixture as slight favorites in their first away match of the season, returning a 1.61x payout on PrizePicks with a win.

A late winner from Joško Gvardiol saw Manchester City pick up their first official win in the Enzo Maresca era against Bournemouth. The new-look Sky Blues struggled in their Premier League opener and spent most of the match down 1-0 before a late comeback.

They now take on a Crystal Palace squad that equally struggled in their first official match under Pierre Sage. Palace dropped the season opener 2-0 to Everton, missing all 4 big chances created and were kept scoreless despite generating 1.96 xG.

Below, we'll break down our Crystal Palace vs. Man City prediction and picks for Friday's Premier League match, including EPL winner payouts, total goals, and top Premier League picks for PrizePicks today.

Make your Crystal Palace vs. Man City prediction on PrizePicks for Friday’s EPL match now.

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Crystal Palace vs. Man City Prediction, Spread, Total Goals for EPL – Friday, August 28

How to watch Crystal Palace vs. Man City: USA (English) / Universo (Spanish)

Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET

Venue: Selhurst Park, London, England

Manchester City travel to the nation's capital for the first fixture of Matchweek 2. Last year's Premier League runners-up had a turbulent summer, losing the likes of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and most significantly, Pep Guardiola.

The growing pains of life under a new manager were evident in Matchweek 1, though City were fortunate to escape with a win thanks to late heroics from Marc Guéhi and Gvardiol. They now face a Crystal Palace side that was deeply underwhelming in their opening match.

Palace finished their first official game under new manager Sage without a goal despite dominating possession and generating 0.84 more xG than Everton. The South London side struggled to break down Everton's back line and gave their opponents too much space in transition, which led directly to both of Everton's goals.

Even with the difficulties City showed last week, the attacking threat they carry remains far more dangerous than anything Palace couldn't handle in their opener.

Crystal Palace have repeatedly struggled in this fixture recently, losing both meetings 3-0 to City just last season. In fact, Palace haven't beaten the Sky Blues in the Premier League since 2021, losing six of their last nine matchups.

The South London club aims to put together a much-improved showing in their home opener, but breaking down Maresca's defensively disciplined setup while containing the likes of Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, and Rayan Cherki will be far from straightforward.

Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City Favorite to Win, Spread, Total Goals – Friday, August 28

Manchester City enters Friday’s game as road favorites against Crystal Palace, returning a 1.61x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Crystal Palace vs. Man City game on PrizePicks.

Play the Crystal Palace vs. Man City spread or total goals on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 36 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City Prediction on Total Goals – 8/28/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Crystal Palace vs. Man City prediction on total goals for the lone Premier League match on Friday, August 28.

• Crystal Palace were unable to score in either of the two Premier League fixtures against Man City last season. The South London side generated 2.61 xG in those two matches combined.
• Both squads created 4 big chances in their season openers last week, each underperforming on xG. Palace leads the Premier League after one week with 2 shots deflecting off the post against Everton.
• Palace and City lead the EPL in big chances missed after just one game played. Despite taking 13 total shots, Man City finished with the third-most (6.0) on target.
• Manchester City managed to score 6 goals from just 2.85 xG in their two games vs. Palace last season. Phil Foden finished with a goal and 2 assists in those fixtures.
• The Sky Blues dominated possession against Crystal Palace, averaging 67% possession in both games. They continued that trend under Maresca in the opener with 66% possession vs. Bournemouth.

Predict Crystal Palace vs. Man City Total Goals in this EPL match on PrizePicks.

Crystal Palace vs. Man City Projected Lineups

Take a look at the Crystal Palace vs. Man City projected lineups for today's EPL match. Lineups are not official and should be confirmed before match start.

Crystal Palace Lineup vs. Man City: Projected 3-4-2-1

• Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson
• Defense: Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards, Takehiro Tomiyasu
• Midfield: Anan Khalaili, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell
• Forwards: Eddie Nketiah, Yeremy Pino, Jørgen Strand Larsen

Man City Lineup vs. Crystal Palace: Projected 4-2-3-1

• Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
• Defense: Joško Gvardiol, Marc Guéhi, Rúben Dias, Matheus Nunes
• Midfield: Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Rayan Cherki
• Forwards: Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland

Crystal Palace vs. Man City Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 8/28/26

Here are Crystal Palace vs. Man City picks to target on Friday, August 28. Today’s EPL picks include Dean Henderson and Erling Haaland.

Crystal Palace GK Dean Henderson vs. Man City: 3.5 Goalie Saves

• Dean Henderson didn't receive much help from his defenders despite a fairly decent game from the English international. Henderson finished with 3 saves, making all from shots inside his own penalty area.
• Crystal Palace’s captain struggled greatly against City last season, conceding 6 goals and making just 4 saves combined across the two matches.
• City, who finished with 6 shots on target in their opener, could give Henderson plenty to deal with once again. They averaged 5.0 SOT vs. Palace last season.

Add Dean Henderson to your PrizePicks EPL Lineup now!

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Manchester City ST Erling Haaland vs. Crystal Palace: 0.5 Goals

• Watching Haaland complete a full 90-minute shift is not something we've become accustomed to. Before last week, Haaland had scored in all four Premier League openers he'd played in since joining Man City.
• The Norwegian superstar finished the opener with 5 total shots and 2 on target. He generated 0.74 xG, missing his only big chance of the match.
• Haaland has an impressive scoring record against Palace, with 8 goals in five career appearances. He scored twice in the first match against Palace last season and didn't play in the second.

 Add Erling Haaland to your PrizePicks EPL Lineup now!

Make Crystal Palace vs. Man City Picks for EPL on PrizePicks

Crystal Palace will look to bounce back from a defeat in Matchweek 1 when they host Man City on Friday. Meanwhile, Manchester City aims to have learned from their mistakes in the opener and attempt to pick up back-to-back wins to start the Premier League campaign.

Don’t wait until kick-off — make your Crystal Palace vs. Man City picks for Friday’s EPL match now on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. 

Just pick your EPL players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on match winner, total goals, and both teams to score — now available in 36 states. 

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