Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace Odds, Pick, Prediction: Take Cityzens to Win in Shutout

Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace Odds, Pick, Prediction: Take Cityzens to Win in Shutout article feature image
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Matt McNulty – Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images. Pictured: Pep Guardiola.

  • Manchester City takes on Crystal Palace in an intriguing match at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
  • The Cityzens, led by manager Pep Guardiola, are heavy favorites to bag all three points against the Eagles.
  • Avery Zimmerman takes an in-depth look at these sides and explains why he's backing Manchester City to win via shutout.

Man City vs. Crystal Palace Odds

Man City Odds-700
Palace Odds+1800
Draw+700
Over/Under3.5 (+112 / -140)
Day | TimeSaturday | 10 a.m. ET
How To WatchNBCSN | fuboTV
Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here.

Manchester City plays host to Crystal Palace in a match that holds some of the most lopsided odds you'll be able to find in the Premier League.

It's easy to understand why City is such a massive favorite, considering it has been part of a tandem that has dominated the Premier League over the past four years. This year's team is finding its form, but it's still eye-opening when a match has odds this drastic.

Crystal Palace comes into the matchup sitting 15th in the EPL and eager to find a positive result after yet another disappointing draw. If you need a result in the Premier League, however, traveling to the Etihad is up there with the worst situations to be in.

Do the Eagles have any chance of creating issues for Manchester City?

Man City Looking to Maintain Blistering Pace

Despite dropping its midweek Carabao Cup game with West Ham in a penalty shootout, City has been in solid form since the start of October.

The loss to West Ham was the lone defeat that Pep Guardiola's squad suffered in October, and even that was a bit of an aberration rather than a result of flawed play. City generated 1.76 xG in the contest while West Ham generated 0.31. Those numbers are representative of how City has been playing in the league as well.

Man City maintains the second-best xG per 90 minutes in the EPL, trailing only the blazing hot Liverpool, and City has the most efficient defense in the league, by far. Man City leads the Premier League in xGA, conceding only .68 xGA per game. The second-best team is Liverpool, which has conceded 1.04 xGA through October.

The gap is a major testament to the level that City is playing at, and it will put Palace in a near-impossible position.

Crystal Palace Looking for 90-Minute Effort

Time and time again, Palace hasn't been able to get over the line when an opportunity to secure three points has been there. Patrick Vieira's group has dropped six points from winning positions in three PL games since September 27, and two matches featured conceded goals in the 95th minute.

For a team that has been strongly out-performing its 1.07 xG per 90 minutes in the Premier League, those are chances that become crucial towards the end of the season, particularly if Palace finds itself in a relegation-threatened position.

Fortunately for Crystal Palace, if it is fortunate enough to draw from a winning position in this contest, it would be an excellent result. Notching a lead against City will require an incredible performance, extreme patience and a big batch of luck.

There's not much to indicate that they'll be able to do it, but anything can happen in the EPL.

Betting Analysis & Pick

When faced with a match like this, you have to be a bit creative in finding an appealing spot.

Thus far in the season, City has played three teams in the bottom half of the table. City drew 0-0 with Southampton, beat Burnley 2-0 and beat Norwich 5-0. The impressive defense hasn't conceded a single goal in these games and is posting a league-leading xGA that is sub 0.5 per 90 minutes at the Etihad.

Palace, on the other hand, is only generating 0.8 xG per 90 mins away from home, giving its attack a massive mountain to climb.

While this is an imperfect sport and the Eagles will likely get chances to score, they should come few and far between.

That said, Manchester City to put on a convincing performance and blank Crystal Palace.

Pick: Manchester City — To Win To Nil (-130)

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