Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as Manchester City host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium. This is a match which could have a major impact at both ends of the table, with City looking to cement their place in the top four while Palace resume their search of the one win they need to all-but secure Premier League survival for at least another season. It promises to be an intriguing affair, particular due to the recent results of both sides, but firstly let's take a look at the team news...

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Caballero; Fernandinho, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy; Yaya Toure, Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane; Gabriel Jesus

MAN CITY SUBS: Gunn, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernando, Kolarov, Navas, Iheanacho

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Hennessey; Ward, Kelly, Van Aanholt, Schlupp; Milivojevic, Puncheon, McArthur, Zaha, Townsend; Benteke

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Delaney, Flamini, Lee, Sako, Remy, Campbell

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the big news as far as the hosts are concerned is that David Silva starts having been a doubt for the game with a knee injury. The Spaniard has been the creative fulcrum of this City side for a number of years now and comes into the team today effectively in place of Garcia, who was given a rare run-out against Middlesbrough. Silva is expected to play further forward than Garcia, though, being part of the trio behind the striker.

The team sheet suggests that Pep Guardiola will switch back to four at the back this afternoon having played a 3-4-3 formation against Middlesbrough, with Fernandinho filling in as a right-back. It is a position he has occupied on a few occasions this season, although he will face an interesting test against Palace's tricky wingers today. Kompany and Otamendi retain their places at the heart of the defence, while Clichy makes up that back four.

Sergio Aguero misses out for the hosts today due to a groin strain which could well sideline him for the rest of the season, and that sees the prolific Gabriel Jesus lead the line on his own today. The Brazilian has made a flying start to his Manchester City career, which was stalled by a broken metatarsal but picked up again with a goal against Middlesbrough last time out. The youngster actually replaced Aguero in the team when Aguero was fully fit earlier in the campaign, so the loss of the Argentine will perhaps not be as damaging as it might have been in previous campaigns.

In all, City have made four changes to their side for this one, in addition to their switch of formation. Leroy Sane is one of those to come back into the fold, effectively replacing Aguero in the side. Sterling also comes back in, in place of Navas, and those two speed merchants will look to keep the Palace full-backs from bombing forward themselves. Yaya Toure will sit as a holding midfielder alongside either Silva or De Bruyne.

Palace, meanwhile, have named an interesting defensive line which appears to put Patrick van Aanholt at centre-back - an unfamiliar position for him which could spell good news for Jesus. It is clearly an intentional decision from Allardyce, though, as Delaney is on the bench and drops out of the team to be replaced by Schlupp. It could be that Van Aanholt or Schlupp switches over to the right flank as Ward seems more suited to playing in central defence.

The introduction of Van Aanholt is the only change for Allardyce from the 2-0 defeat to Burnley last time out, with the front three of Zaha, Townsend and Benteke keeping their places in the side. They enjoyed a real purple patch of form during Palace's own resurgence - Zaha in particular - but they have gone off the boil a little more in the last couple of games. This would be a good time for them to return to form, and City's style of play may well lend itself to that.

Benteke will be Palace's main goal threat, particularly if they are able to get a lot of crosses into the box. In Kompany and Otamendi City have two defenders who seem fairly well suited to nullifying the threat of the Belgian, but if he is afforded any amount of space he can be deadly inside the area. It hasn't been all plain sailing for him this season, but he scored a brace at Anfield not long ago so may fancy his chances today too.

In midfield, McArthur keeps his place alongside Milivojevic, who has been a very valuable addition since joining in January. Mamadou Sakho was another to make a big impact on the team after joining, but he will miss the rest of the season after straining his ACL, adding to Palace's defensive injury worries. As I mentioned earlier, Delaney is available and on the bench, but Tomkins, Dann and Souare are all next to Sakho in the treatment room.

There are match-winners on both sides, then, but City will still come into this match as heavy favourites to get all three points today, The hosts are in desperate need of a win too, with a recent dip in form having put their top-four hopes in jeopardy with Manchester United and Arsenal looking to catch them. Pep Guardiola was expected to challenge for the Premier League title during his first campaign at the club, but with just four games remaining he finds himself in a very real fight just to qualify for the Champions League

City do have the opportunity to steal a march on the chasing pack with a victory this afternoon, and a win would be extra beneficial for them considering Arsenal face Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow afternoon - a match that is guaranteed to see at least one of the two closest challengers to the top four drop points. Victory could also lift City up to third above Liverpool, who do not play until tomorrow either. Liverpool currently sit three points better off than Guardiola's side, but the Reds have played a game more.

Guardiola will, of course, want to finish as high as possible, but getting into that top four is by far the main priority and, at this stage of the campaign, I am sure he would settle for a fourth-placed finish it he was offered it now. There has been an improvement from City so far this term - they are five points better off than at the same stage last season - but it has not exactly been the level of success that many fans - and indeed the board - would have hoped for following the arrival of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.

City's run-in does look kind, though, which should play in the favour over the closing weeks of the season. Following today's match City will take on Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Watford in their final three games of the season, and that final-day meeting against the Hornets is the only one of those that comes away from home. Having said that, City have actually been better on the road this season, with 35 away points compared to just 31 at home, so they may have fancied a few more trips away rather than staying at the Etihad for the next three games.

If only home records counted in the Premier League this season, City would sit down in seventh in the table, whereas away from home they would be second behind only Chelsea. However, Guardiola's side have still only lost once in front of their own fans this term, and that applies to all competitions, not just the Premier League. A 3-1 loss to Chelsea in December is Man City's only home defeat in their last 27 outings here - a run which stretches back to March 2016, while their current unbeaten run at the Etihad stands at 12 games.

The problem for Manchester City, like their local rivals Manchester United, has been the number of games then have drawn in front of their own fans - seven from their 16 matches. Only Old Trafford has seen more Premier League draws this season, and three of those seven draws have come in City's most recent four home games, with only one win in that time. Stringing together an unbeaten run is all well and good, but City need only look across Manchester for proof that draws can be almost as damaging as defeats in the race for the top four.

Perhaps the most concerning thing for Man City fans will be their relative lack of goals at the Etihad too - a stadium where they have traditionally been very free-scoring. They have netted just 27 times at home this season - fewer than Bournemouth and the same amount as both Hull and West Bromwich Albion, whereas away from home they have scored a league-high 38 times. Two of City's last four Premier League games here have ended 0-0 too, that following a run of just one goalless draw in their previous 119 league outings in front of their own fans. Guardiola's side have struggled to break teams down more than usual this season, which also goes some way to explaining their recent record of just two wins from their last nine games in all competitions.

Could this be the perfect time for Palace to play City, then? Well, a week or so ago you might have said so, but Palace have also suffered a dip in form over their past two games to slow their remarkable resurgence under Sam Allardyce. The Eagles arrive at the Etihad having lost back-to-back matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, the latter of which was particularly disappointing as the Clarets picked up their first away win of the entire season.

Palace have not lost three consecutive matches across all competitions since November - when they strung together an unwanted run of six - while the last time they lost three on the bounce in the Premier League was back in January. Their situation now is a lot better than it was then, though, with these last two losses coming off the back of a run of just one defeat in eight games, which included six wins and victories over the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Indeed, Palace have doubled their entire points tally for the season during that 10-game spell, amassing 19 points in that time having only managed the same number during their opening 25 games of the campaign. As I have already mentioned, that run includes some big scalps too, and that should give Palace plenty of confidence coming into today's match. They actually go into the game in better form than City too, with today's hosts having only amassed 17 points from their last 10 Premier League games.

Palace's away improvement has been particularly impressive, with four wins from their last six outings on the road - double the amount that they had managed in their previous 22 before that. The Eagles have now picked up as many away points in their last six games as they had in their previous 18, and if only away form counted this season then Allardyce's side would be sitting pretty in seventh place, fighting for a European spot rather than battling against relegation. Compare that to their home form, which is second-worst in the league to only relegated Sunderland, and there is no doubt where they are strongest.

That away form has been even more remarkable considering that they have beaten both Chelsea and Liverpool on their own turf during it, becoming just the second team to beat each of them at home all season. Palace could claim their own little slice of history if they collect another big scalp this afternoon by becoming only the fourth team in Premier League history to win at Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all in the same season. Only Blackburn Rovers (1993-94), Arsenal (2003-04) and Manchester United (2012-13) have managed that before, and all three of those went on to finish in the top two that season.

For all the headline-grabbing results in recent weeks, Palace's objective of avoiding relegation from the Premier League is not yet complete. Their fine form of late has given them a healthy cushion of six points over the relegation zone, and 18th-placed Swansea City are now the only team in the bottom three that can catch them, but both the Swans and Hull City - the teams directly below Palace in the table - have picked up regular points since changing managers so Allardyce will be keen to get over that 40-point mark as soon as possible.

Victory today would be enough to achieve that, and despite enduring such a torrid time of things for much of the season and only fairly recently dragging themselves out of the relegation zone, a top-half finish is by no means out of reach for Palace this season. They are just three points off ninth place and have the best goal difference in the bottom 11, so while the aim will still be to secure safety first and foremost, they may also have one eye looking up the table too. It is a tricky end to the campaign for the Eagles, though, as they face away games at both Manchester clubs while they chase for a top-four spot, in addition to a home game against a Hull City side who will be fighting for their lives.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at the Etihad Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is quite a tricky one to call considering Palace's recent penchant for beating big teams in their own back yards, but City simply need a win. Any slip-up would open the door for either Arsenal or Manchester United to take advantage tomorrow, and that danger should be enough for the hosts to get the job done. We're going for a 2-0 home win!

City have dominated this fixture in recent seasons, winning eight of their last nine Premier League meetings with the Eagles. The only loss in that time came at Selhurst Park in April 2015 when Palace ran out 2-1 winners, but City have at least scored in each of their last 11 Premier League matches against Palace - a run which stretches back to a goalless draw in May 1993.

If Palace's overall record against City is poor, their away record is even worse. The Eagles have not won at Manchester City since 1991, going 11 games without a victory in that time, including four defeats and two draws in the Premier League. Since City moved to the Etihad Stadium Palace have lost all four of their visits and have scored just once - drawing blanks in their last three games here.

These two sides have already met twice this season, both of which came at Selhurst Park and both of which ended as Man City wins. The most recent of those was in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January, when goals from Sterling, Sane and Toure handed City a 3-0 win and a passage into the next round. Toure was also on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture as he returned from exile under Guardiola to find the back of the net twice in a 2-1 win for City. The last time they met here was in January 2016, with Delph, Aguero (2) and Silva helped City to a 4-0 rout.

Right, the players are on their way out and we're just about ready to go at the Etihad Stadium. It could be a decisive contest at both ends of the table, so let's hope for a good game!

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Man City get us underway at the Etihad Stadium!

Well that didn't take long! Man City make a perfect start to the match as Silva marks his return to the starting lineup with a goal inside two minutes. The Spaniard clips a lovely cross into the box which Sterling sends into the middle, and Kelly's clearance only goes as far as Silva, who has continued his run into the box. He strokes home the finish in clinical fashion for his 50th goal in Man City colours.

YELLOW CARD! Kelly picks up an early yellow card for a sliding challenge on Sterling just as City were breaking. Michael Oliver should have played advantage in truth, and he acknowledges that before brandishing the card to Kelly.

We're only six minutes in here, but already it has been all Manchester City. They are dominating possession in these opening exchanges and Palace are struggling to get hold of the ball right now.

Right on cue, Palace do make a bright break forward as Van Aanholt slides a pass inside for Zaha. The winger skips past Toure in the box before going down, but there was not enough in that for a penalty.

SHOT! Ambitious effort from De Bruyne as he tries his luck with a first-time volley after being picked out by a lofted ball into the box. It would have been a goal of the season contender it if flew in, but De Bruyne didn't connect with it as he would have liked.

SAVE! Palace just cannot cope with City's movement at the moment. The hosts work the ball well so that Fernandinho has shooting space from around 25 yards, and he catches his effort very sweetly. It is straight at Hennessey, though, and the Palace keeper makes that save.

Palace are concerned about Van Aanholt here as he requires treatment, but he should be fine to continue. It looks like Palace are playing three at the back, by the way, with Townsend and Van Aanholt as the wing-backs.

Palace are really struggling to deal with City today. The hosts' quick attacking trio is causing all sorts of problems, and with the creative talents of Silva and De Bruyne picking them out City look dangerous almost every time they come forward.

City are camped in the Palace half at the moment, and they string together a fine passing move here before Fernandinho reaches the byline down the right channel. He fires a low ball into the box, but it is turned behind for a corner.

Electric play from Jesus as he storms forward into space inside the Palace half. He has three Palace defenders up against him, though, and he is eventually crowded out as the visitors avert the danger.

Sane tries his luck from range, but this isn't one he will want to see again. The winger gets his shot all wrong and it ends up closer to the corner flag than the goal.

It may still be early days in this match, but City look in complete control. They are dominating possession and knocking the ball about at their own pace - Guardiola will want a second goal to give themselves some breathing space, though.

Silva threads a lovely pass inside the full-back for Sterling to run on to, and the pacey winger cuts inside from the right flank into the box. He could go for goal himself, but instead he looks for the pass to Jesus and hat gives Palace the chance to get a tackle in.

Very important interception from Otamendi to deny Benteke a chance, which would have been Palace's first of the day. Puncheon floated a cross into the box that looked like reaching the Belgian, but Otamendi stretched his neck to clear the danger.

This Man City attack really does look good. Aguero's quality is undoubted, but Jesus adds even more pace and skill into the fold and that seems to gel better with Sane and Sterling. All three are in the mood today.

Palace make a rare foray into the City half, but Otamendi makes a good challenge on Benteke and in the blink of an eye City are on the attack. It doesn't come to anything, but it is another warning shot for Palace.

City again break into the box and this time Silva is able to get a shot away, with no Palace defenders willing to risk tackling the Spaniard. His effort takes a deflection and Hennessey then spills it at the feet of Jesus, but the Brazilian is offside.

CHANCE! Silva has been magnificent so far. He plays a one-two with Sane on his way forward here before sliding a lovely first-time pass down the right channel which Jesus steers towards goal, forcing a save from Hennessey.

SAVE! Sane has also been superb in this opening half an hour or so and he embarks on another brilliant run here. He eventually gets a shot away which Hennessey can only push back into a dangerous area, and the follow-up effort from Sterling is cleared off the line just in front of the Palace keeper.

YELLOW CARD! Kompany goes into the book for a cynical challenge on Zaha, stepping across the winger and tripping him to prevent him getting past.

SAVE! Again Sane races forward down the left flank to latch on to a lovely pass down the channel, but his effort from a tight angle is pushed away by Hennessey.

CHANCE! Caballero has not had anything to do all day, but he pulls off a fine save here to keep his side ahead. Townsend stands a cross up in the middle which Benteke meets with a trademark header, but Caballero gets down very smartly to his left.

Silva has all of the time in the world inside the box on the left channel, and he looks up to see a few blue shirts in support. The attackers all make the same run, though, leaving Silva little option but to fire it into the middle, allowing Hennessey to intercept.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Palace as the ball breaks kindly for Van Aanholt on the left side of the area, but the full-back snatches at his effort and blazes it well over the top.

Risky challenge from Van Aanholt as he goes in with studs showing and a little bit over the ball. He does win it, but tackles like this always give the referee a decision to make nowadays.

Palace have managed to get into the game a little bit more over the past 10 minutes or so, but City still have a good degree of control over this one. Allardyce will be relatively happy if his side are only one down at half time, though.

Sane has switched flanks and is having even more of an impact on the left. He has been such a handful today, Palace simply cannot deal with him.

There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.

Manchester City lead at the interval, then, but Palace will be happy that it is only the one goal and they remain in this match. City have been utterly dominant so far and Palace fans may have feared the worst when the hosts took the lead after less than two minutes, but they have been unable to add to that advantage and despite being comfortably second best throughout that opening 45 minutes, Palace are still in the mix.

The goal came from David Silva, who has been brilliant so far along with a number of his teammates. The Spaniard's initial lofted pass to Sterling was inch-perfect, and he continued his run into the area to latch on to a poor clearance from Kelly and stroke the ball home for his 50th City goal.

City have had chances to add to their lead, with Sane in particular forcing a few stops from Hennessey, but really clear chances have been surprisingly few and far between considering City's dominance. Indeed, Palace have had the next best chance aside from the goal, with Benteke forcing a fine save from Caballero with a firm downward header - the only meaningful stop the City keeper has had to make so far.

KICKOFF: Crystal Palace get us back underway for the second half at the Etihad Stadium - can they up their game in the next 45 minutes and take something from this match?

SHOT! Silva looks to make an even quicker start to the second half, picking the ball up off Sterling before turning his way past a defender and into shooting space. His eventual effort is never really troubling Hennessey, but he did well to create the opening for himself.

Vincent Kompany will not have scored many goals better than this one! An initial corner is half dealt with by Palace, but Kompany stays up and peels away from his marker to make himself free inside the box. The ball is rolled to him, and the City skipper lashes an emphatic first-time finish into the top corner. Any of City's attackers would have been proud of that one!

City win a couple of corners in quick succession and the second sees Kompany connect with it again, but Van Aanholt is there to nod the ball behind and prevent it from reaching Otamendi.

YELLOW CARD! Milivojevic goes into the book for a pull on De Bruyne, although it was quite a soft one. More importantly, though, City have a free kick in a very dangerous position...

OFF THE BAR! De Bruyne takes it on and fires a fine effort towards goal, but it clips the top of the crossbar on its way behind for a corner.

SAVE! Another save for Hennessey to make as City go in search of a third here. Silva threads a pass through for Fernandinho, who drills a powerful effort at goal from a tight angle, but the Palace keeper pushes it away.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Time for a change from the visitors as Lee Chung-yong replaces Townsend.

CHANCE! Yet another chance for City as Kelly gifts possession to De Bruyne in a very dangerous position. The playmaker goes on to slide a pass through for Sane, but his effort is well saved by Hennessey.

City have a third, and that is surely game over now. Jesus rolls the ball into the path of De Bruyne, who strokes a first-time effort towards goal. It is not the best shot he will ever have, but it has too much on it for Hennessey and the Palace keeper cannot keep it out. Hennessey should have done better there!

I wouldn't bet against City further adding to their advantage before this one is through. The hosts have been brilliant today and the 3-0 lead does not flatter them at all.

Really good play from Zaha as he collects the ball on the halfway line before dancing past Fernandinho and Kompany, but Otamendi is back there covering and makes a crucial challenge to stop the wingrin his tracks.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Another change for the visitors as Mathieu Flamini replaces Milivojevic.

MAN CITY SUB: The hosts make their first change of the afternoon too, with Pablo Zabaleta replacing Silva. That should see Fernandinho move back into his more familiar central midfield position.

OFF THE BAR! Palace hit the woodwork as they look to pull back what would only be a consolation, although it would have been a very fortuitous goal. The ball breaks kindly for McArthur, who hits a first-time effort, but it deflects off a defender and bounces again the bar on it's way over. Caballero looked to have it covered.

City have taken their foot off the pedal in the last 10 minutes or so, but they still look sharp in possession and the pace of Sane and Sterling is an ever-present threat.

CHANCE! Chance for Sane to get a deserved goal as Fernandinho swings a cross into the box which he attacks really well. He gets in front of his man, but gets his finish wrong and skews it well off target.

This will be a third straight loss for Palace for the first time in the league since January, and there will be plenty of Palace fans who keep an eye on the Hull and Swansea's scores later today. The Eagles are not out of the woods just yet.

Sterling gets in on the act with City's fourth of the afternoon as he half-volleys a bobbling ball into the bottom corner after Zabaleta had knocked it down to him inside the area.

MAN CITY SUBS: Double change for the home side as Sane and Jesus are taken off and replaced by Jesus Navas and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Zaha looks to create something as Palace search for a consolation, but his dangerous cross flashes right across the face of goal and there are no Palace players there to turn it home.

There will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match.

YELLOW CARD! Delaney goes into the book for a foul which gives City a free kick in a good crossing position.

It is officially a rout! City make it five as De Bruyne's swing a free kick into the box which Otamendi meets with a fine diving header to steer past the keeper. Palace's defending was nowhere to be seen, but in truth it looks like they gave up a while ago.

A comfortable win for Manchester City then, and one that takes them above Liverpool into third place by virtue of goal difference. City were unfortunate to only be 1-0 up at half time following David Silva's early strike, but the final scoreline is a fair reflection of their dominance today as second-half strikes from Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi turned it into a convincing victory.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Manchester City thrash Crystal Palace to climb up to third in the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. The 3pm kickoffs are half an hour away too, so check back in for live coverage of that! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!