Manchester City heads to Crystal Palace looking to sharpen up in Premier League matchday two

Selhurst Park is gearing up for a match with a whiff of payback in the air. Manchester City travels to face Crystal Palace on Friday, August 28, in matchday two of the 2026-2027 Premier League season, with both teams needing to fix something from their opening-day performances.

City won, sure, but it wasn't pretty. Palace, meanwhile, didn't get anything at all. So there's plenty to sort out before kickoff.

The match kicks off at 4:00 p.m. (Argentina/Uruguay), 3:00 p.m. (Chile) and 2:00 p.m. (Colombia/Peru/Ecuador), and will stream live via Disney+'s Premium Plan for South America.

Why this one's worth watching

Enzo Maresca's City needs to show a different side of itself. On opening weekend, the team gritted its teeth to grind out a tight 2-1 win over Bournemouth at home, a result that counts in the standings but left plenty of questions about how the team is functioning. City finished second last season, behind Arsenal, so the ambition here is sky-high.

On the other side, Palace comes in bruised. The team fell 2-0 on the road to Everton in its league opener, after having shown some promising signs in preseason. What's really worrying folks in London is that Palace failed to win in the last five matchdays of last season's Premier League. Playing at home, in front of its own fans, is the perfect chance to snap that streak.

Names to watch

For Palace, the attacking focal point remains Jean-Philippe Mateta, joined by Daniel Muñoz and Evann Guessand, three key pieces in trying to break down a City defense that hasn't always looked solid.

For City, the list of standout names is dizzying: Erling Haaland remains a guaranteed goal threat, and alongside him are Antoine Semenyo and Phil Foden, two players capable of deciding a match with a single moment of magic.

The most recent meeting

The last time these two squared off was on May 13 of this year, also in the Premier League. That afternoon City routed Palace 3-0 at home, with goals from Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and Savinho. It's a lopsided result that Palace will want to put behind it as soon as possible, especially playing on its own turf.

Will the boost of playing at home be enough to slow down a City side that, doubts from the opener aside, still has plenty of firepower? Selhurst Park will have the answer this Friday.