Ellen White
Former Manchester City striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Marmoush has amazing speed and is very gifted and he just needs time. He is very different to Haaland in terms of what he gives to the team.

He is a great talent for City.

Rob Page
Former Wales manager on BBC Radio 5 Live

It is a great start by Man City. You can see their intent.

Both full-backs are getting forward and then you can see them playing through the middle. A really good start from Man City so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

James McAtee has been pushed very high.

He splits with Omar Marmoush to allow Kevin de Bruyne into the false nine role when Manchester City have the ball but holds his position when Crystal Palace have it.

He is trying to get into the space between Jefferson Lerma and Tyrick Mitchell.

James McAtee, on his full Premier League debut with Manchester City, gets on the end of a bouncing ball and it sits up nicely for him to attempt a lob, but he gets nowhere near enough height on it and it is an easy catch from Dean Henderson in the away goal.

Daniel Munoz crosses close to the right touchline for Palace and Jean-Philippe Mateta is there and glances a header wide, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway as he had already strayed offside.

Image source, Reuters

Manchester City make a burst down the right wing immediately, but James McAtee overcooks a cross and it goes out harmlessly for a throw-in.

And away we go on another busy Saturday in the Premier League.

Image source, Rex Features

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Five English teams will qualify for next season's Champions League due to their position in the table.

Manchester City are sixth, a point behind Newcastle, who have a game in hand, and Chelsea, who don't.

Given City still have Southampton to play, plus Bournemouth, who are badly out of form, and Wolves, who have been fourth bottom for ages, it would still be a major surprise if Pep Guardiola's side missed out.

He does not quite see it like that.

"I don't agree" was his response to my positive question.

Guardiola pointed to the injuries that have decimated his squad this season and mean he is currently without Erling Haaland, plus defensive trio John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji for the encounter with Crystal Palace.

I still think they will do it with a little bit to spare. But it is getting too close for comfort.

Image source, Reuters

Alan Shearer
Former England striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Big players are able to adapt. Yes you have got your way that you have to play but teams now are having a go at Manchester City.

Teams are without doubt having a bigger go at Man City than they have done ever. Yes, they are missing a freak of a goalscorer but you have to deal without having him and find a way to play.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City will have a new technical director this summer when Hugo Viana takes over from Txiki Begiristain.

Pep Guardiola has known Begiristain since they were young players together at Barcelona, so it is impossible to replicate that relationship.

But Viana has been at City as part of the transition process and Guardiola is already speaking positively about the man who, together with Ruben Amorim, made Sporting such a success in Portugal.

"With Txiki, we were together playing in Barcelona as almost teenagers," he said. "We’ve shared a life. No two relations are the same and what I’ve experienced in a short time (with Viana) is that it will be so easy to communicate together.

"He’s a perfect replacement. The vision, the way we talk, the composure like Txiki – no stress, not like me – and the balance is calm. Hopefully he can express himself. I’ve asked him to forget about what we have done. We need your vision. You don’t come here to just follow what we’ve done in the past.

"Let’s talk, what you see about the team over many months watching us, what we can do better.”

Rob Page
Former Wales manager on BBC Radio 5 Live

I saw quite a bit of James McAtee when he was at Sheffield United.

He has gone out and had that experience of playing games and benefited from having that experience and it will be interesting to see how he plays today.

Alan Shearer
Former England striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

I understand the excitement of the younger boys coming through but I think Guardiola knows he will have to spend to get back to being among the best.

The team today looks narrow to me, with the likes of Grealish and Doku on the bench.

Manchester City

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola is "optimistic" his side will qualify for next season’s Champions League because he believes their “spirit” is back.

City have endured a difficult season by their lofty standards and find themselves in a scrap for a top-five spot in the Premier League rather than challenging for the title.

They have slipped to sixth since a dismal goalless draw at Manchester United last week but Guardiola has seen enough in recent games to feel upbeat.

The City manager said: “I’m optimistic to finish well this season. Some spirit is back. Some games, some moments were good – United no – but the spirit is there. The spirit will sustain us. Maybe we (could) struggle in a game but the spirit has to be there.

“We saw with incredible curiosity the Champions League games this week and I know the spirit with which they play. That’s what we need to do.”

A number of factors have contributed to City’s downturn in form this season after winning the past four Premier League titles but Guardiola believes a lot of their frustration comes down to injuries.

He said: “We didn’t have players. We had a lot of injuries. In any sport when the important players cannot play, you cannot be the same. We couldn’t rotate, they couldn’t compete against each other and in certain moments we needed fight and we didn’t have legs. We didn’t have energy.”

Chris Sutton
Premier League title winner with Blackburn

Crystal Palace are a really well-balanced team who can cause Manchester City all sorts of problems with their 3-4-3 formation, even though Marc Guehi and Eddie Nketiah are suspended after being sent off against Brighton last week.

The Eagles are in better form than Pep Guardiola's side too, with four wins and a draw from their past five league games - City have only won twice in the same period.

I still cannot move away from a City win, however. I still expect them to win these kind of games at home, even if they are miles away from being the team they were 12 months ago.

We saw more evidence of that last week, because Sunday's Manchester derby was probably the dullest derby game I have ever watched. You think about when Guardiola came over, and how he transformed the game. For years, City were so watchable.

Now, if they were playing in my back garden I would close the curtains - although that would be a bit harsh on Palace.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner said his side "have huge respect for Manchester City" and added: "It's a great team with one of the best managers in the last decade in the Premier League but we approach with confidence and our goal isn't to go away unbeaten but to win the game."

On what he expects from City: "A possession-based team, who have a clear structure in their game. Normally Pep plays with high and wide wingers but against Manchester United he played a 4-4-2 diamond with two strikers and Kevin de Bruyne more as a number 10, so I don't know exactly but we are prepared."

Glasner worked with City striker Omar Marmoush when the pair were at Wolfsburg together and said: "He has the skills and what I loved was he was two and a half years in Germany and he spoke German perfectly and this is quite unusual.

"He is an amazing finisher, a great guy, has all the skills and in the football career you may not have to make a straight direction to come to the top but he had a loan at St Pauli, Stuttgart, then performing for Wolfsburg, then an outstanding season for Frankfurt. Immediately he shows Manchester [City] what kind of striker he is."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

Image source, Reuters

Crystal Palace have a Wembley date with Aston Villa at the end of the month as they meet in the FA Cup semi-final.

Victory in that tournament would bring qualification for the Europa League. However, if Palace lose, the chances are they would gain a European spot in the Conference League by finishing eighth.

Oliver Glasner's side are five points behind Fulham, who currently occupy that spot. However, they do have a game in hand - against Newcastle on Wednesday.

Anything Palace can get from this game would come in very handy indeed.