On Friday, two new managers will face off as Crystal Palace hosts Manchester City at Selhurst Park for their inaugural Premier League home match of the season. The Eagles are eager to recover from their opening loss, while the Citizens aim to maintain their winning momentum in the early stages of the campaign. Palace's previous two seasons concluded spectacularly under former manager Oliver Glasner, who guided the team to FA Cup and Conference League victories, leaving current head coach Pierre Sage with high expectations. It may be unreasonable to expect Sage, the former Lens manager, to immediately match his predecessor's achievements, particularly with the team up against one of the most formidable sides in modern English football. Compounding Palace's challenges is their recent 2-0 defeat to Everton, where they conceded goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry on either side of halftime. However, Palace might feel aggrieved by the result, having produced 1.96 expected goals compared to Everton's 1.12, suggesting that better finishing could have transformed their missed opportunities into points. To secure a positive result on Friday, the Eagles must improve their finishing, as they have lost six of their last ten encounters with City, managing just one victory during that span—a memorable 1-0 win in the 2025 FA Cup final. On the other hand, Enzo Maresca's Manchester City is beginning to navigate life after Pep Guardiola. Despite a less-than-ideal start, they managed to secure crucial points, bouncing back from a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth last Sunday.