Crystal Palace v Man City: Key stats and talking points

Crystal Palace welcome Manchester City to Selhurst Park on Friday night against the backdrop of a potential exit for their star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. A 2-0 defeat away at Everton in his opening game was not the start new head coach Pierre Sage was looking for, and the result was compounded by news of a contract row involving his fellow Frenchman, while last season's top scorer Ismail Sarr is on Liverpool 's radar. Mateta believes the one-year contract extension triggered by the club last season is invalid. Palace fans did not take kindly to his wantaway antics earlier this year, and although his winner in May's Conference League triumph over Rayo Vallecano went some way to making amends, he is unlikely to be forgiven a second time. Sage advice Sage said on Wednesday: "I think he will stay… he has the behaviour of someone who is happy to be here, who wants to be here and is prepared to be here all season. I have no doubt about that." Mateta missed two big chances in the first half against Everton, and Palace's profligacy in front of goal has been a cause of concern for some time now. The Eagles were the biggest xG underperformers in the Premier League last season. It's a problem that blighted their rollercoaster 2025-26 season under Oliver Glasner, which started and ended with a trophy lift but was permeated by some dreadful league form. Among the ever-present teams in the division, no-one has fared worse over the past eight league games (straddling the two seasons). [BBC] Guehi makes his Marc in midfield After failing to lay a glove on Arsenal in the Community Shield the previous Sunday, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca got off to a winning start in the Premier League against Bournemouth last week. The Italian surprised everyone by playing centre-back Marc Guehi in midfield, a role the England defender had played just twice before in his senior career, both times for Crystal Palace. Since that 2-1 comeback win over the Cherries at Etihad Stadium, City have been hard at work in the transfer window. Morocco's teenage sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi has joined from Lille for an initial £81.4m, while Savio and Nico Gonzalez have departed for surprisingly hefty fees. Maresca has confirmed that Bouaddi is available for selection, but whether he is thrown straight into the mix, or Guehi continues to moonlight in midfield against his former employer, remains to be seen. Guehi did a sterling job alongside Elliot Anderson against Bournemouth, missing a great chance before heading home the equaliser from a Rayan Cherki corner, and it was the Frenchman who unpicked the visitors' defence for Josko Gvardiol's stoppage-time winner too. Cherki, on as a 63rd-minute substitute, started just one game for France at the World Cup – the chaotic third-place play-off defeat by England – but he finished last season as one of City's brightest performers. In fact, since his arrival from Lyon last summer, Cherki has more top-flight assists from open play than any other player – including Bruno Fernandes, who in 2025-26 set a new competition record for overall assists in one season. [BBC]