Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were both named in Manchester City’s starting XI for Palace Vs Man City on the second weekend of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign, while Crystal Palace were left to manage more bad news away from the pitch. Haaland’s place came as no surprise, but Cherki’s inclusion underlined how quickly Manchester City are folding new options into the team.
The reason this fixture drew attention so quickly was simple: Haaland had scored in all five of his Premier League matches against Crystal Palace before this one, and Manchester City arrived after coming from behind to beat Bournemouth in their opener. Crystal Palace, by contrast, came into the match after a 2-0 loss at Everton, so the game carried early-season weight for both sides.
Manchester City’s selection also pointed to a few moving parts in the side. Nico O’Reilly started in midfield again, Phil Foden was picked again, and Abdukodir Khusanov was moved to right-back. Matheus Nunes was not fit enough to start, while Ayyoub Bouaddi was on the bench, leaving City with a lineup that mixed continuity and adjustment rather than a fixed shape this early in the season.
For Crystal Palace, the more damaging noise was elsewhere. Their move for Joel Ordonez was in serious doubt because of complications surrounding his existing injury, even though the club had been closing in on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy worth about €30million, or £25m. The setback matters because Palace are already dealing with Chadi Riad being set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining another anterior cruciate ligament injury, which leaves their defensive options under strain.
That is the uncomfortable backdrop to a match Palace needed to steady themselves with and City wanted to control. If Haaland keeps his scoring run alive, the old problem for Crystal Palace gets louder; if he does not, the result will say more about how quickly Manchester City’s new pieces are settling than about any one player. Either way, the transfer uncertainty around Ordonez and the loss of Riad mean Palace’s immediate concern is deeper than one afternoon’s scoreline.
