Crystal Palace were shut out 2-0 at Everton on the opening weekend, a result that left Pierre Sage’s side without a goal or a point heading into their first home match of the season. Now comes a tougher test: Manchester City arrive at Selhurst Park on the back of a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, with Erling Haaland expected to lead the line against a Palace defense that has yet to show its credentials at this level. After a Premier League opener that raised questions about where City’s goals will come from this term, Friday evening gives Haaland his first away appearance of the 2026-27 campaign and a chance to answer a few of those questions himself.
Haaland’s recent form
There is limited statistical detail available from Haaland’s opening weeks of pre-season, and his performance in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth drew mixed notices rather than the kind of commanding display that has defined his Premier League career. Head-lines in recent weeks have focused more on peripheral matters than on goals or assists, which tells its own story about where his form conversation currently sits.
Within Enzo Maresca’s system, City showed enough attacking intent against Bournemouth to take three points, but the Norwegian striker will want to be more central to that process at Selhurst Park. With Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki all in the squad, Haaland is operating in a side with genuine width and creativity around him, which historically has been the environment where he produces his most decisive work.
The tactical matchup
Crystal Palace’s defensive shape will be tested directly by Haaland’s movement between the lines and inside the box. Palace conceded twice at Goodison in their opener and kept a clean sheet total of zero goals for in that match, meaning the attacking machinery under Sage has not yet clicked either. Marc Guehi, now representing City after his transfer from Palace, is not in this fixture on the Crystal Palace side, and the home backline will need to handle Haaland’s physicality without that experienced presence they once relied on.
Haaland’s record against Crystal Palace in recent head-to-head fixtures shows a City side that has been ruthless at this venue. In the last five meetings between the clubs, City won three, drew one and lost one, with scorelines of 3-0, 0-3 and 5-2 appearing in that sample. Palace’s one victory in those five came in the 2025 FA Cup. The h2h picture gives Haaland a favorable surface to work on, and a Palace defense still finding its footing early in the season adds to that.
What’s at stake for him
Haaland enters this match with something to resolve rather than something to celebrate. The opener against Bournemouth generated more scrutiny than relief, and while one match at the start of a long season rarely defines a campaign, the pattern of questions around his output means a strong display at Selhurst Park would carry real weight. He has been one of the defining players of the Premier League era since arriving at City, and any sustained dip in that output will attract attention given how much of City’s structure is built to serve him.
For Maresca, getting Haaland firing early is tied directly to where City sit by November in a season where Arsenal and Brighton have already opened with wins. City are seventh after one game on goal difference terms, and the gap between a comfortable 3 points and a stuttering start to the campaign could come down to whether Haaland converts the chances that City’s midfield creates at Selhurst Park.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Manchester City have won three of their last five meetings with Crystal Palace by at least three goals, and the home side arrives at this fixture without a point or a goal from their opening match. If City’s attacking machinery operates with anything close to its ceiling, Haaland should find space to work with. A City win looks the most likely outcome, and Haaland, with something to prove after a low-key opener, is the likeliest source of the goals that would deliver it.
Crystal Palace
Manchester City
Erling Haaland