Manchester City will look to build on their recent
dominance at the Etihad Stadium to book their place
in the fifth round of the Capital One Cup when they
face Crystal Palace .
The Eagles have struggled in the tournament in
recent years since reaching the semi-finals in the
2011-12 campaign and will be focused on taking the
scalp of the Citizens.
Manchester City
City put in a dominant display in the third round to
coast past Sunderland at the Stadium of Light to
seal their place in the fourth round with an emphatic
4-1 victory.
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Manuel Pellegrini's men have rallied in recent
weeks after losing back-to-back matches in the
Premier League to West Ham United and Tottenham
Hotspur .
City's impressive start to the campaign was ended
by those defeats, which had the potential to send
the club on a downward spiral, but comprehensive
6-1 and 5-1 victories over Newcastle United and
Bournemouth ensured that they remained top of the
table.
The team strengthened their position at the summit
when they put in a solid display against rivals
Manchester United to earn a 0-0 draw from the
clash, despite being at their best at Old Trafford.
Pellegrini's side won the competition in the 2013-14
season when they defeated Sunderland in the final,
but were knocked out by Newcastle in the third
round last year.
The Chilean and his side will have set their sights
on regaining the Premier League crown and winning
the Champions League, but a trophy win in the
competition could ease the pressure on the Citizens
going into the end of the campaign as it did two
seasons ago.
City will head into the game with confidence
following their impressive home form at the start of
the campaign, as only West Ham and Juventus
have won at the Etihad Stadium this season.
Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWWD
Crystal Palace
Palace's bright start to the season has been halted
by back-to-back defeats to West Ham United and
Leicester City, which have dropped them out of the
top four into seventh place in the Premier League.
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It has been a case of hit or miss for Alan Pardew's
men in the campaign as they have either won or lost
their 12 fixtures in all competitions, winning seven of
the games, including two in the Capital One Cup.
The Eagles' strength under Pardew has been their
form on the road as they have won nine out of their
13 matches away from Selhurst Park under the
tenure of the 54-year-old, including their trip to
Stamford Bridge in a 2-1 win over Chelsea earlier
this season.
As a result, Palace will travel to the Etihad Stadium
with plenty of confidence that they can take
advance to the fifth round of the competition, despite
their drop in form since the return from the
international break.
The Eagles have never won the League Cup and
have struggled to reach the latter stages over the
past few years, failing to reach the fourth round of
the competition since the 2011-12 campaign.
However, Palace have reached the semi-finals on
four occasions since the 1990s, but never managed
to progress into the final, including their defeat to
Cardiff City in 2012 on penalties.
There is enough motivation for Pardew and his men
to make a strong fight in the competition, continuing
against the Citizens following their success against
Shrewsbury Town and Charlton Athletic in the
previous rounds.
Recent form: WW
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWLL
Team News
City are still without Sergio Aguero (hamstring) and
David Silva (ankle) due to injury, while Pellegrini will
also be without the services of Fernandinho, who
picked up his fifth booking of the season against
United earning him a one-match suspension.
Wilfried Bony is expected to lead the line for the
Citizens, but Kelechi Iheanacho could feature
following his match-winning strike against the
Eagles earlier this season. Manu Garcia and Patrick
Roberts may also come into contention for City on
Wednesday.
Samir Nasri has returned to training this week, but
the game may come too soon for him to return to
the pitch.
Palace will be boosted by the return from
suspension of striker Dwight Gayle after he missed
their defeat to Leicester at the weekend, and he is
likely to replace Fraizer Campbell to lead the line.
The Eagles are without left-back Pape Souare so
Adrian Mariappa will continue in his place, while
forwards Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh
are still out due to injury. Wilfried Zaha could return
to the starting lineup after starting on the bench last
week.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Caballero; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov;
Fernando, Garcia, Toure, Roberts, De Bruyne; Bony
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Hennessey; Mariappa, Dann, Hangeland, Kelly;
McArthur, Cabaye; Puncheon, Zaha, Bolasie; Gayle
Head To Head
The two sides met earlier this season when
Iheanacho struck in the 90th minute to hand City a
1-0 victory at Selhurst Park.
Pellegrini's men recorded a convincing 3-0 win
over the Eagles in their last meeting at the Etihad
when David Silva notched a brace, while Yaya
Toure also got on the scoresheet.
Over the course of history, City have fared better in
the contest by securing 25 victories compared to
Palace's 15, while 12 of the matches have ended in
draws.
We say: Manchester City 3-1 Crystal
Palace
Pellegrini's men have been in imperious form at the
Etihad Stadium of late and will be looking to fire in
front of goal after drawing a blank in the
Manchester derby. Palace have an impressive
away record under Pardew, but City will have
enough quality in the final third to take their chances
to put the game beyond the reach of the Eagles.