We are at Wembley Stadium this Saturday with the FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at England’s national ground.
Crystal Palace are underdogs for this game and rightly so. Sadly for neutrals and Palace fans, our Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City predictions have faith that City’s experience will see them getting the win.
Read on for my free betting picks for Saturday, May 17, with kickoff at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace picks and predictions
My Manchester City vs Crystal Palace best bet: Man City moneyline (-133 at bet365)
The showpiece event in the English soccer calendar takes place this Saturday with Crystal Palace and Manchester City meeting under the famous arch of Wembley Stadium.
The competition has been running since 1871, a staggering 154 years, and come the final whistle on Saturday, we could have a new winner. Crystal Palace has never won this famous trophy. On the flip side, Man City has won this prize seven times, with the team winning it twice in the Pep Guardiola era. That experience could, and most likely will, be decisive this weekend.
That would be heartbreaking for fans of Palace who have lost twice in the final of the FA Cup, back in 1990 and more recently, in 2016 against City’s arch rivals, Manchester United. This feels different for Palace, and we’re arguably looking at one of, if not the best Palace team in a long time.
They’ve only lost two of their previous 14 games in all competitions, and in Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Adam Wharton, they have three legitimately top-tier attackers. They also have a strong backline to their team and a manager in Oliver Glasner, who has been linked to some bigger roles.
Ultimately, this Man City team is too good, and most importantly, too experienced for Palace in this game.
After crashing out of the Champions League in the Round of 16, and seeing themselves out of the Premier League title race by Christmas, this feels like a truly horrific season for City, but come May, they still find themselves able to win silverware.
They were truly terrible between November and December, losing eight games and drawing three more, with just two wins to their name. However, since then, they’re slowly but surely getting back to being more like the City we’re used to. In fact, they’ve won nine of their past 13 games in all competitions, with just one defeat in that time. They’re heating up, and it’s coming at the worst possible time for Palace.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace same-game parlay (SGP)
Man city moneyline
Erling Haaland to score
Both teams to score — Yes
As well as our best bet for the game, we’re backing Erling Haaland to be one of the players on the scoresheet for City. It’s been a poor season for the Norwegian by his high standards, with injuries derailing him, as well as his goalscoring being slightly down on last year. However, even in a down year, he’s still scored 30 goals for City this season in all competitions, and he returned from injury at the weekend, so he is very likely to start here and will be decisive.
The final leg of the same-game parlay is for both teams to score, and we can expect Palace to get on the scoresheet here. Firstly, we’ve seen Palace look more dangerous in front of the goal recently, scoring eight goals in their past four games in all competitions, scoring multiple goals against Spurs, Arsenal, and Aston Villa in that time span. City’s defense hasn’t been as elite as we’ve seen in the past, and they’ve given up 43 goals in 36 league games this campaign.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace odds
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace live odds
 Manchester City |
 Crystal Palace |
|
|---|---|---|
| -137 | Moneyline | +333 |
| +300 | Draw | +300 |
| Over 2.5 (-137) | Total | Under 2.5 (+110) |
Odds courtesy of Sportsbook.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace opening odds
- Moneyline: Manchester City -137 | Crystal Palace +333
- Draw: +300
- Over/Under: Over 2.5 (-137) | Under 2.5 (+110)
How to watch Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
| Location | Wembley Stadium, London, UK |
| Date | Saturday, 5-17-2025 |
| Time | 11:30 a.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Weather | Mostly sunny. |
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace key injuries
Manchester City: Oscar Bobb FWR (Out), John Stones CB (Out), Nathan Ake DEF (Out), Rodri CDM (Questionable).
Crystal Palace: Chadi Riad CB (Out), Cheick Doucoure CM (Out), Adam Wharton CM (Questionable).
Not intended for use in MA.
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