In the 16th round of the 2025-26 Premier League season, Crystal Palace will face Manchester City at Selhurst Park. This will be a match between two teams currently in the top five of the standings.

This match marks the first official encounter between the two sides since the FA Cup final in May. Thanks to their impressive performance in their first European campaign since winning the FA Cup, Crystal Palace have maintained their competitiveness this season, currently sitting fifth in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace were originally in fourth place, but Chelsea moved up to fourth after defeating Everton. Before this round, Crystal Palace were only 5 points behind second-placed Manchester City.

Before the match, Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes said: "Manchester City are always dangerous, not just in England, but in the world. I know they had some ups and downs last season, but they have top players and a manager I think is one of the best in history, Guardiola."

“We know it will be a very tough match, but they won’t take it easy coming to Selhurst Park. It’s going to be a great game.”

Crystal Palace recently rebounded strongly after two consecutive losses, securing three consecutive away wins and including a dramatic last-minute victory against Fulham in the last round. Hughes believes that team unity is the key factor in this turnaround.

Hughes also discussed the tight Premier League standings this season, pointing out that the gaps between teams are extremely small: "This season's league is crazy, the points gaps are very close, so we just need to focus on ourselves and keep moving forward."