Man City predicted XI vs Crystal Palace: Three changes from Newcastle line-up - gallery

Pep Guardiola will most probably name a strong team on Saturday as Manchester City continue to hunt down Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola is expected to name a similar Manchester City side against Crystal Palace on Saturday, to the one which started against Newcastle United last weekend.

The Blues maintained the five-point gap to Arsenal with a 2-0 win last Saturday, with Mikel Arteta’s men grabbing a dramatic 3-2 victory over Bournemouth. City haven’t played since then and should be relatively fresh given they’ve had a week to prepare for the trip to Selhurst Park.

Guardiola’s men do have an important Champions League game in midweek, with the second leg against RB Leipzig taking place at the Etihad. The City boss could, therefore, be tempted to rest players for that match, but the seven-day break plus the importance of keeping pace with Arsenal, means the Premier League champions are expected to name a full-strength squad.

Phil Foden had been a doubt in the build-up to the game with a foot injury and revealed after the Newcastle match that the problem flared up once again. However, Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference that he is fit to play at Selhurst Park.

John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are also back after recent absences, and their returns could allow Guardiola to rotate his centre-backs, with Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake playing the majority of the club’s recent games.

Meanwhile, Kyle Walker is available following a week where Cheshire Police announced they are investigating an alleged indecent exposure. However, given the public spotlight surrounding the player, Guardiola may decide to drop him to the bench.

Here’s how we think City will line up on Saturday…

Guardiola’s men do have an important Champions League game in midweek, with the second leg against RB Leipzig taking place at the Etihad. The City boss could, therefore, be tempted to rest players for that match, but the seven-day break plus the importance of keeping pace with Arsenal, means the Premier League champions are expected to name a full-strength squad.