Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is viewing Crystal Palace as a serious challenge ahead of their upcoming match.
As the English Premier League season nears its end, Crystal Palace has shown remarkable improvement, with four of their 11 wins coming in the last five matches. Taking into account their recent good form and their history of strong performances at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola is approaching the match against Palace with caution.
City will face Palace at home this Saturday, and Guardiola shared his thoughts on the 11th-place team during his press conference the day before the game.
In their last encounter in December, Palace held City to a 2-2 draw at home, even after falling behind twice. In their most recent match at the Etihad in 2023, City was ahead by two goals but ended up drawing 2-2.
Palace last defeated City at the Etihad in 2021. Now, the team is in excellent form in the league, winning four of their last five matches.
“The challenge for us is securing a place in next season’s Champions League. At home, we have some tough battles, and tomorrow we play against a team that has been in incredible form for the last month or two,” Guardiola said.
“Playing against Palace here is always tough. I have great respect for their coach (Olivia Glasner), and there’s no doubt about their playing style, talent, and physical capabilities. But we have to remain optimistic about finishing the season well.”
With 52 points, City currently sits in 6th place in the Premier League, just one point behind 4th-place Chelsea.
English clubs got a boost with Arsenal’s win over Spanish champions Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The top five Premier League teams will qualify for next season’s European competitions, which makes City’s task a bit easier.
However, the race for those two spots is tight, with Chelsea, City, Newcastle United (53 points), and Aston Villa (51 points) all competing fiercely.
