Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 32.
Player analysis: Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Unbeaten away from home since late October - and boosted by the form of star men Mateta and Eze - Crystal Palace will travel to Manchester City with great confidence on Saturday.
Across the last 12 matches Oliver Glasner’s side have won eight times, earning five more points than the defending champions during that period.
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In fact, the only team with a better record since Christmas are the leaders, Liverpool.
Both are part of the scramble for European qualification and the Eagles are playing well enough to provide Pep Guardiola’s men with a stern examination in Saturday’s early fixture.
Will City get to grips with Mateta?
Palace are not afraid of going toe-to-toe with Man City, scoring twice against them in five of their last seven meetings.
Centre-forward Mateta has proved a handful to contain, scoring home and away against them in 2023/24.
On both occasions Man City’s high line was breached with a run from the halfway line.
At Selhurst Park the Frenchman raced onto a quality through-ball to score from a 1v1, while at the Etihad Stadium in a 2-2 draw, Jeffrey Schlupp made a great burst from deep before squaring for Mateta.
A two-footed finisher
Mateta has looked sharp since returning from a serious ear injury, scoring a fantastic goal in last weekend’s key 2-1 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Frenchman lashed a ferocious left-footed shot into the top corner after showing bright movement to get away from his marker.
Mateta is predominantly right-footed, but it was his sixth goal of the campaign scored with his so-called weaker left foot.
Goals scored by left/right foot/header comparison 24/25*
| Player | Left foot | Right foot | Header |
| Salah (LIV) | 24 | 3 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland (MCI) | 15 | 2 | 4 |
| Isak (NEW) | 2 | 14 | 4 |
| Wood (NFO) | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Mbeumo (BRE) | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Palmer (CHE) | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Wissa (BRE) | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Mateta (CRY) | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Cunha (WOL) | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Watkins (AVL) | 3 | 6 | 4 |
*minimum 13 Premier League goals scored
Indeed, Mateta is the most two-footed striker among the division’s leading scorers this season.
With the exception of Brentford's Yoane Wissa, other players to have scored at least 13 times strongly favour one foot over the other on a large scale.
The Palace marksman is adaptable, and happy to trust his technique wherever the ball falls to him, so is harder to contain than most.
City’s defenders will not enjoy tracking Mateta’s frequent runs either.
For a big, powerful striker he is always on the move, rarely letting central defenders settle, or have an easy ride.
Like a coiled spring, Mateta will always be ready to burst into life with a forward run at the Etihad Stadium.
Mateta's running stats compared with strikers 24/25
| Mateta | PL rank | |
| Runs | 711 | 4th |
|---|---|---|
| Runs into box | 219 | 4th |
| Sprints | 228 | 5th |
Eze is the perfect partner for Mateta
Palace talisman Eze is adept at supplying the ammunition for Mateta.
Six of Eze's eight Premier League assists have been for his team-mate, with all but one of those since the start of December.
Three of those assists stemmed from incisive through-balls that Mateta ran on to, as shown below, for Palace's winner at Ipswich Town in early December.
The only combination that is more potent than the one shared by this Eagles duo is Jacob Murphy to Alexander Isak (seven assists) for Newcastle United.
Glasner uses Eze as his left-sided No 10, so Man City will need to deny him the space to feed those precise forward passes into Mateta whenever he drifts inside with the ball at his feet on Saturday.
Eze is head and shoulders the most effective Palace player when travelling with the ball.
His decision making on transitions will be a key factor in this contest.
Most successful Palace dribbles 24/25
| Player | Successful dribbles |
| Eberechi Eze | 56 |
|---|---|
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | 17 |
| Daniel Munoz | 17 |
| Ismaila Sarr | 14 |
As well as being creative for others, Eze is also a major threat with shots from distance, attempting 51 this season.
Both his goals have been rasping efforts from outside box, with Chelsea's Cole Palmer (53) the only player to have tried his luck with more shots from 18+ yards this season.
If Man City fail to close Eze down tightly, he will have a pop at Ederson’s goal wherever he is inside the final third.
Why City need to be wary of Palace in the second half
Palace have been an excellent second-half side this season.
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest are the only two teams who have "won" more second halves, and those strong finishes are often down to the growing influence of Mateta and Eze.
Both players have been markedly better from half-time onwards and are at their best when matches begin to open up and get stretched.
Mateta/Eze first v second-half comparison 24/25
| Goals + assists | First half | Second half |
| Mateta | 3 | 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Eze | 2 | 8 |
A remarkable 20 of their combined 25 direct goal involvements have come during the second period.
So, if this match is close heading into the final stages of the match, it is Palace who could feel more confident of getting a positive result.
