Football
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Crystal Palace and Manchester City will lock horns in the FA Cup Final on Saturday 17 May 2025, which takes place at Wembley, kicking off at 17:30 GMT. If you’re looking to bet on this huge fixture, then be sure to use one of our best football betting sites.
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Marc Guehi fights for the ball with Erling Haaland//Getty Images
For both teams, this is easily the biggest game of the campaign. Pep Guardiola’s serial winners have stuttered this season, so much so that this is their only chance of silverware, while for the Eagles, trophies have been in short supply for many years, meaning that this game marks a massive opportunity for them to achieve tangible success. Having recently beaten Palace in the league, the Citizens will fancy themselves to get the job done, but when they’re on it, we’ve seen just how effective Oliver Glasner’s men can be, so don’t rush to write off the underdogs.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
See below for the pre-game odds, and for those looking to open a new account ahead of the FA Cup Final, don’t forget to check out our best betting sites.
- Man City: 16/5 (4.20) – 23.8%
- Draw: 3/1 (4.00) – 25.0%
- Crystal Palace: 8/11 (1.72) – 57.9%
Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Head-to-head Record
Here’s how the last five renewals of this fixture have panned out:
12/04/2025: Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace
07/12/2024: Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City
06/04/2024: Crystal Palace 2-4 Manchester City
16/12/2023: Manchester City 2-2 Crystal Palace
11/03/2023: Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City
Crystal Palace Current Form – WDWDD
The Eagles have been in solid form of late, which is just what you want ahead of a game of this magnitude. We saw the South London side deliver a commanding performance last time out, beating Spurs away from home by two goals to nil. That win followed a draw against Nottingham Forest, during which they were arguably the better team, while prior to that, Palace thumped Aston Villa at Wembley, showing that they’re more than capable of delivering on the big stage.
Having wobbled slightly by being too open away to both Man City and Newcastle in the league back in April, Oliver Glasner’s men have steadied themselves nicely over the last month, turning in performances of both a disciplined and creative nature, performances that point towards them holding their own in a cup final for which they’re outsiders in the betting.
Key Players to Watch
For Palace, the key men are the front three.
- Eberechi Eze: The producer of 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season, Eberechi Eze has once again delivered the goods. The Eagles’ main man has hurt even the best teams, scoring a wonderful goal in the semi-final of this competition, and also scoring away against both Arsenal and Manchester City recently. No Palace player has produced more goals and assists than Eze this season, who averages 0.69 per 90 minutes, and if they’re to do well on Saturday, he will be key.
- Jean-Philipe Mateta: Playing as a lone striker, Jean-Philipe Mateta has shouldered Palace’s goal-scoring burden with serious authority this term, notching 17 goals in all competitions, while his strength, hard work and hold-up play have also been invaluable for the Eagles. Not only does Mateta score goals, but he does a fantastic job of occupying defenders, freeing up space for the likes of Eze and Sarr.
- Ismailla Sarr: Signed from Marseille as a replacement for Michael Olise last summer, Ismailla Sarr has quickly become an integral piece of the attacking puzzle for Oliver Glasner. In all competitions, the winger/stroke forward has delivered 16 goals and assists, scoring twice against Aston Villa to secure Palace’s place in the FA Cup final. If the Senegal international is on form here, then the Eagles have a chance, that’s for sure.
Crystal Palace Team News
Having been out injured for some time, Cheick Doucoure is expected to miss out for Crystal Palace. Adam Wharton missed last weekend’s clash with Spurs due to an ankle knock, though the Eagles will be hopeful that the influential midfielder is fit enough to play some part in Saturday’s final. Manager Oliver Glasner has an otherwise clean bill of health.
Manchester City Current Form – DWWWW
Sure, it’s been a disappointing campaign for Man City in general, but ahead of this FA Cup final, their third in a row, the men in sky blue have built plenty of momentum, avoiding defeat in each of their last ten in all competitions, winning eight.
Prior to drawing 0-0 with Southampton (in a game that meant nothing to either), Guardiola’s men had won five games on the spin, scoring multiple goals against the likes of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Everton in the league, while the manner of their 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the semi-final of this tournament suggests that they mean business.
Key Players to Watch
As we all know, City have many key players, but the following three look sure to play vital roles on Saturday:
- Kevin De Bruyne: For nearly a decade, Kevin De Bruyne has been one of the Premier League’s outstanding players. Thought of by many as the best midfielder ever to grace the top division of English football, the Belgian has had a bit of a stop-and-start campaign, but he’s now fully fit, which is a problem for Palace, who suffered at the hands of the 33-year-old orchestrator back in April when De Bruyne scored and assisted.
- Erling Haaland: The Citizens haven’t been as strong this season, there’s no denying that, but Erling Haaland has continued to prove his worth as a goal scorer, notching 30 times in all competitions. The Norwegian hitman has been injured recently, but having recovered, he got a much-needed 90 minutes under his belt against Southampton last time out. Don’t be surprised if the man who has scored more Premier League goals than anyone since arriving on English shores does some serious damage here.
- Ruben Dias: As Guardiola’s men have tightened up in recent weeks, keeping four clean sheets in their last five games, Ruben Dias has been a key figure at the back. Far from short of big-game experience, the Portuguese defender is one of those who can make life very tough for opposing forwards, and it will be down to Dias to shoulder the responsibility of dealing with Jean-Philippe Mateta, which he did rather well a month ago.
Manchester City Team News
Unfortunately, Manchester City are expected to still be without the services of Rodri, while Nathan Ake and John Stones are also injured. Having been rested last time out, the likes of Matheus Nunes and Savinho could return to the starting XI.
Predicted Line-Ups
Crystal Palace: 5-2-2-1
Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell; Kamada, Hughes; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Manchester City: 4-2-3-1
Ederson; Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Gundogan, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland.
Suggested Bets
Here are three suggested bets:
Crystal Palace Draw No Bet: The Eagles have only lost two of their last 14 matches, while they’ve typically thrived in games of this nature, defending deep before hitting on the break. (41/20 with BetMGM) (11/5 with Betway) (23/10 Unibet)
Crystal Palace to Score Over 1.5 Goals: Again, in games of this nature, against high-pressing teams such as Man City, Crystal Palace have looked very dangerous on the break, scoring multiple goals in two games against the Citizens already this season, as well as against the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham, Arsenal, Man United and West Ham. (21/10 BetMGM) (21/10 William Hill) (11/5 Unibet)
Eberechi Eze to Score or Assist: The scorer of a beautiful goal in the semi-final, Eberechi Eze scored twice last time out and comes into this game having scored or assisted ten goals in his last ten appearances for Palace. (11/5 Unibet) (43/20 BetMGM) (11/5 William Hill)
Value Bets
Here are three value betting opportunities:
Ismaila Sarr Over 0.5 Shots on Target: Ismaila Sarr took his game up a gear for the semi-final against Villa, scoring two goals, looking a serious threat on the break, while the pacey and direct runner averages 0.93 shots on target per 90 minutes this season, registering three shots on target in his last three games. (11/10 Unibet) (11/10 Betway) (11/10 BetMGM)
Kevin De Bruyne Over 0.5 Shots on Target: Manchester City’s main man will surely be keen to take this game by the scruff of the neck and make his mark, so expect the Belgian to fire off shots. After all, he’s registered a shot on target in five of his last appearances for City, including against Palace in the league. (10/13 BetMGM) (4/5 Unibet) (4/5 Betway)
Eberechi Eze to Assist: Although Eze has primarily stood out as a scorer of goals in recent weeks, he remains Palace’s most creative player, while his delivery from set pieces could be key in this game. Eze has also made more key passes (= passes leading directly to a shot) than any other Eagles player this season. (13/2 BetMGM) (13/2 Unibet) (6/1 Betway)
Prediction: Draw & Both Teams to Score
Sure, the Citizens ran riot when the pair met at the Etihad around a month ago, but that was an unusually careless effort from the Eagles, who’ve tightened up since. Oliver Glasner’s men are expected to be much more disciplined in their approach, sitting deep, before looking to do damage on the break, which is the tactic that secured their place in this final.
Let’s face it, for all their offensive strength, Guardiola’s men haven’t exactly gone mad in terms of goals of late, scoring no more than twice in any of their last five, while we’ve often seen undone on the break during the current campaign. Having drawn 2-2 at Selhurst Park in the season, with scoring multiple goals in the semi-finals, don’t be surprised if we see something similar unfold on Saturday.
Having written for a wide variety of websites and publications, including popular UK betting newspaper The Racing & Football Outlook, Bradley has produced a wealth of sports betting articles, covering topics such as betting guides, value betting tips, match previews, match reports, stats and analysis pieces and news. Bradley is also passionate about creative writing, and he also enjoys travelling and working in different places, becoming a digital nomad in early 2024.