Pundits Predict City Will Shine… Or Snooze…
Riding in like knights on sparkly surfboards, Manchester City are hosting Crystal Palace at the Etihad — their turf of turfiness — to bounce back into the Champions League kingdom. The Premier League, being the kind soul it is, tossed an extra Champions League invite like confetti for next season. But City, after their snooze-fest with Man United, have fumbled out of the top five and are itching to reclaim their spot, being a mere point behind those sly foxes Chelsea and Newcastle.
The grapevine of footie chatter, by which we mean the wise soothsayers known as pundits, have tossed their magic 8-balls on the battlefield of predictions. BBC Sport’s own wordsmith wizard, Chris Sutton, let’s rip with the details: Crystal Palace, with their fancy 3-4-3 kaleidoscope of tactics, might do more than just ruffle City feathers despite being down a few chaps. They are, indeed, in a groove, having waltzed through the past five matches better than City has at a soggy picnic. Sutton still bets on a City win but confesses his curtains might still stay shut after last week’s derby — a spectacle drier than an overcooked scone.
Equipped with their magic wands and crystal balls, Sky Sports’ mind-reader predicts a close-call 2-1 victory for the City magicians. Kevin De Bruyne might as well be the Gandalf of Footballville, weaving passes more delicate than a spider’s silk hammock. Meanwhile, the former BBC pundit, who now moonlights as Paddy Power’s gossip guy, goes big with a flamboyant 3-0 prediction — believing City’s roar will echo through the Etihad like a lion at a karaoke night. What will actually happen? Only the footballing fates and maybe a particularly psychic cat know for sure.
