Fresh off a dramatic comeback victory over Bournemouth, Enzo Maresca’s side heads to Selhurst Park for a Friday night clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
Marc Guehi makes his return to Selhurst Park!
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The Blues started their 2026/27 Premier League campaign in dramatic fashion, leaving it until the very end to seal all three points over Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. Having trailed until the 84th minute, the victory marked Manchester City's latest comeback since Sergio Aguero's iconic title winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.
Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring in the 26th minute, capitalising on a counter-attack to give the Cherries the lead against the run of play. From there, Enzo Maresca's side struggled to take advantage of chances that came their way, with City eventually finding their breakthrough in the dying moments.
In the 84th minute, Marc Guehi found himself unmarked in the box, free to turn in Rayan Cherki's corner and draw Manchester City level. Just seven minutes later, it was Josko Gvardiol's turn to capitalise on a pass from Cherki, as he gave City the lead in the 92nd minute.
With three points claimed on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League season, here are the five things City Xtra learned from Manchester City's opening win against Bournemouth.
cityxtra.co.uk Five Things Learned: Man City 2-1 Bournemouth (Premier League) With three points claimed on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League season, here are the five things City Xtra learned from Manchester City's opening win against Bournemouth.
Up next is a trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace after Pierre Sage's side opened their own season with a 2-0 defeat away to Everton. Last time these two sides faced, the Blues walked away with three points and a 3-0 win.
In the build-up to the 2-1 win against Bournemouth, news broke that Ayyoub Bouaddi will join the Blues on a five-year contract for a reported fee of £85million being paid to Lille.
A deal for Allan Elias has also reportedly been agreed, with the Brazilian winger joining from Palmeiras for around £35 million. As far as outgoings, Nico Gonzalez is set to join Newcastle United, while Omar Marmoush will join Tottenham on an initial loan deal.
With all of that in mind, here is how we expect Manchester City to line-up at Selhurst Park for their match-up against Crystal Palace on Friday night!
Predicted XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma will take his place between the posts as the undisputed No.1. Despite a shaky performance in the Community Shield, his three saves kept Manchester City in the match against Bournemouth and reminded fans of the reason he was bought last summer.
Despite missing out on a start in the last two, Matheus Nunes proved his value to the side from the bench on Sunday afternoon. Rico Lewis got the nod, but Nunes' introduction in the second-half provided an element of stability at both ends of the pitch.
Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias looked to be Enzo Maresca's favoured pairing throughout pre-season, and with the two starting against Bournemouth, that is unlikely to change for the clash against Crystal Palace. The two made more passes and had more touches than anyone against Bournemouth, highlighting Maresca's preference to building out from the fluid backline.
Josko Gvardiol occupied space all over the pitch against Marco Rose's side, dropping into a back-three and getting forward when needed. His versatility will make him a key player in Maresca's system, just as we saw on the weekend.
With Rodri and Nico Gonzalez having departed the club, Marc Guehi found himself in a new role for the season opener. While it may not be a permanent role, Guehi looked more than comfortable in midfield, and for now the position may be his. Friday is likely too early for Ayyoub Bouaddi to make his first start, so we may see Guehi play further up the field against his former club.
Elliot Anderson looked right at home in Manchester City's midfield on Sunday, and despite pulling up with cramp, he should be back in the side against Pierre Sage's side. His performance against Bournemouth left City fans with plenty to be excited for.
Moving up into a midfield role, Nico O'Reilly relished the chance to get more involved in the final third on Sunday. A move back to the left-back spot is far from ruled out, but his linkup play with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Antoine Semenyo showed exactly why he was selected to play in a more advanced role against Bournemouth.
Rayan Cherki made his season debut off the bench, but that didn't stop him from turning the match on its head. Two assists in the last 10 minutes might be enough to earn the Frenchman his first start of the season.
Erling Haaland will start this one. He will be hoping to open his account after the first game of the season for the first time in his Manchester City career, having scored in every opening game until now.
Antoine Semenyo enjoyed an extremely productive pre-season and will be hoping to replicate that form in the early stages of this season. While he didn't quite manage to hit those highs against his former team in the last match, it would be foolish to write him off.
Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Anderson, Guehi, O'Reilly; Cherki, Haaland, Semenyo.
Substitutes: Rulli, Lewis, Reis, Ait-Nouri, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Foden, McAidoo, Grealish.