Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park! Neither of these two sides come into this game in particularly good form, but they are at opposite ends of the table and in need of a victory for very different reasons. Let's start with a look at the team news...

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Tomkins, Kelly; Cabaye, McArthur, Puncheon, Townsend, Zaha; Benteke

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Delaney, Sako, Mutch, Lee, Flamini, Wickham

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Bravo; Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Nolito; De Bruyne, Aguero, Sterling

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Fernando, Zabaleta, Navas, Sane, Silva, Iheanacho

Very interesting team news for City there! We'll start with the home side, though, and Pardew has made two changes to the team that suffered a last-gasp defeat to Burnley last time out. One is an enforced change too as Wayne Hennessey comes in in goal, replacing the injured Steve Mandanda, who will spent a few weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury. Hennessey was the number one for much of last season for Palace, though, so he is by no means a bad replacement to be able to call upon.

The second change comes in defence as James Tomkins returns to the starting XI, with Damien Delaney dropping to the bench. Scott Dann retains his spot at the heart of the back four, while Ward and Kelly make up the defensive unit. It is a back four that can be very dangerous in the opposition box as well, and with City not particularly strong in that area - certainly compared to their other strengths - then set pieces could be the way for Palace to get at them today.

In midfield, Pardew sticks with Yohan Cabaye, who was singled out for special praise by Guardiola in the build-up to this match, alongside McArthur in the deeper roles, while Puncheon, Townsend and Zaha will provide the main attacking thrust behind the striker. All three can be devastating on the counter-attack which, along with set pieces, could be a very valuable avenue of attack for Palace today with City expected to dominate possession for long spells. The visitors have shown themselves to be vulnerable on the break at times, so Zaha et al may be looking forward to the space they should get at times here.

Townsend and Zaha in particular will also look to put plenty of crosses in to Benteke, who Guardiola described as "unstoppable" in the penalty area during his pre-match press conference. The Belgian has certainly shown signs of his former self since his move from Liverpool and goals are not an area where Palace have struggled this season, so if he can bully the City defence at times today then it could be another route to success for the hosts.

Unfortunately for Benteke and Palace, the defence chosen by Guardiola does not look like one which will be easily bullied at all. The headline inclusion at the back is that of Vincent Kompany, who makes just his second Premier League start of the campaign having withdrawn from Belgium duty for precautionary reasons. The skipper has endured an injury-plagued City career so far, but when he has managed to stay fit for an extended spell he has proven himself to be among the best defenders in the division.

Kompany inclusion is one of three changes at the back from Guardiola, with Sagna returning from a hamstring injury and Otamendi coming in for Clichy, allowing Kolarov to move out wide to the left. In all, Pep has made six changes to the team that drew with Middlesbrough before the international break, and there is no doubt that the biggest one is the inclusion of Yaya Toure. The Ivorian gets his first league start of the campaign having finally apologised for comments made by his agent about Guardiola, and now it is up to him to prove himself to the Spaniard - something he seemingly failed to do at Barcelona.

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Toure is expected to play in a deeper midfield role alongside Fernandinho, while Nolito and Raheem Sterling flank De Bruyne further up the field. All three have been in good form for City so far this season, so much so that David Silva is dropped to the bench to accommodate them - although the Spaniard's international exploits and Wednesday's Champions League match against Borussia Monchengladbach may also play a part in that. De Bruyne in particular has impressed, providing a league-high six assists in the Premier League this season.

Guardiola did suggest that he would look to rotate his squad in the build-up to the match, even mentioning the South Americans being extra tired after the international break, but Sergio Aguero retains his place in the starting XI having not featured for Argentina in midweek. Aguero has scored the opening goal of a game five times already this season - the most in the Premier League - and he also boasts the record for being the most prolific striker in Premier League history.

Despite six changes it is still a team full of quality for Manchester City here, and Palace will be under no illusions about the challenge that faces them this afternoon. The hosts are heavy underdogs going into the match, and it is easy to see why. The Eagles have been in poor form for some time now and, while there were signs of a revival a little earlier in the campaign with three consecutive wins, Pardew's side now find themselves in a bit of trouble 11 games into the season.

Pardew has insisted that he doesn't think Palace are in a relegation battle at the moment, but if things don't improve significantly then they certainly will be. The Eagles are winless in five games and have lost each of their last four, and another defeat this afternoon would see them lost five league games on the bounce for the second time this calendar year. Indeed, 2016 has been one to forget for Palace having averaged just 0.73 points per game - the worst rate in England's top four tiers.

Palace's form has left them 16th in the Premier League table, just one point clear of the relegation zone. It is worth noting that things are very tight around them, though, and a victory this afternoon could lift them as high as ninth, but equally they could end the day in the bottom three. They have just 11 points from 11 games so far this term, and the mathematicians amongst you will not need me to tell you that they would not reach the magic 40-point mark if they keep that average up throughout the season.

Worryingly, despite sitting in such a precarious position, they form has actually shown signs of improvement this season. They have picked up 11 points from their last nine games, which is the same as they managed in their previous 21. They have still only won five times in 32 games since last Christmas, though, losing 18 of those matches, which is more than any other Premier League team this calendar year. It won't surprise you to hear, then, that they are also joint-bottom of the form table over the last five games with just one point - the same amount as Swansea.

Unlike many teams to struggle at the wrong end of the table, though, it is not scoring goals that has been a problem for Palace. Indeed, they have only failed to score in one of their last nine Premier League outings, and their 16 goals in that time means that no team outside the top four has scored more then them all season. The problems come at the other end of the field, with only the bottom four conceding more than Palace's 19. Indeed, Palace are without a clean sheet in 16 games since their 0-0 draw with Everton in April - the longest current run in the Premier League.

At home, Palace has scored more goals than Tottenham and have conceded the same number as Arsenal, yet they still post a pretty poor record at Selhurst Park. Only the league's bottom two Swansea and Southampton have a worse home record than the Eagles this season, with Pardew's side managing just one win from five outings - a 4-1 triumph over Stoke in September. Indeed, stretching even further back they have won just three of their last 15 league games here, losing nine.

Selhurst Park is almost always full of noise and has a reputation as a tough place to visit, but the results do not back that up at all. If there is one things Palace can look at it is that their second-half displays often show an improvement in form. If matches finished at half time, the Eagles would actually be bottom of the table with only six points to their name, meaning that they have picked up an extra five in the second half of matches this season. Scant consolation for their current position, admittedly.

It seems like a good time to be visiting Crystal Palace, then, but Manchester City are not exactly flying themselves right now. Pep Guardiola made things look all too easy during his early days as City boss, winning his opening 10 matches in all competitions, but their form has wavered since then and they come into today's match having won just two of the following nine. That includes four draws and three defeats across all competitions, although it is also worth noting that one of those two wins did come against Barcelona.

In the Premier League it is draws that have hurt City most in recent weeks. A 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur ended their perfect start to the campaign and kickstarted an ongoing run of just one win from their last five league outings, including three consecutive draws at the Etihad Stadium. The solitary victory was a convincing 4-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, but City need to quickly rediscover their best form in a season that is shaping up to be every bit as competitive as it promised.

Arsenal's late draw with Manchester United in today's early kickoff means that City will begin this match sitting fourth in the Premier League table having slipped behind Liverpool, Chelsea and the Gunners during their recent slump in form. Only two points separate those top four, though, so City have by no means dropped heavily off the pace. Too many dropped points will put them in a little bit of trouble, though, with Tottenham Hotspur only three points further back and Manchester United also just about in the mix.

Guardiola came to England for a challenge, and there is no doubt that the Premier League is shaping up to be exactly that for the Spaniard. I have already mentioned his phenomenal start, but the recent slump in form means that this season is his worst ever start to a campaign as a manager with 24 points from the first 11 games. It is matches like their last outing against Middlesbrough which have contributed to that, with City dominating almost from start to finish, only for Martin De Roon to pop up with a stoppage equaliser, earning a smash-and-grab draw for Boro.

City have actually picked up as many points away from home as they have in front of their own fans so far this season, winning four of their five games on the road - the exception being that 2-0 defeat to Tottenham. Only Arsenal and Liverpool have picked up more points away from home, while City have scored more than any other team on the road. Indeed, in all competitions City have found the back of the net 23 times in 10 away games this season.

That goal tally includes three matches in which they failed to find the back of the net too, so when they do score away from home they actually go on to average more than three per game. All three of those goalless matches came on the bounce quite recently, against Tottenham, Barcelona and Manchester United, but they stopped the rout with a 4-0 thrashing of West Brom in their most recent away outing. That is their only win in their last five games on the road across all competitions, though.

We're coming up to a crucial part of the season for Manchester City now, with Borussia Monchengladbach next up in the Champions League on Wednesday. City's victory over Barcelona in their last European fixture means that they are in a good position to qualify from Group C, but should they lose in Germany then they would be level on points with Monchengladbach heading into the last game. City would still be favourites to progress as Barca would be the Germans' opposition, but it would make things tighter than City would like for sure. After that is an away trip to Burnley, before they host title rivals Chelsea and take on Celtic in their final Champions League group game.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Selhurst Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! Palace are undoubtedly underdogs heading into this match, and their form should be of great concern to Pardew. They should actually be well suited to prey on City's weakness against the counter-attack, and I expect the hosts to grab at least one goal, but they are also leaking too many at the other end so I'm backing City to run out 3-1 winners.

Crystal Palace's recent record against Man City does not read favourably for today's hosts, with 10 defeats from their last 11 meetings in all competitions stretching back to 2001. That includes three defeats at the hands of City last season - during which time the Manchester club scored 10 goals - and also seven defeats from eight in the Premier League.

The exception in that dismal run of form came here at Selhurst Park in April 2015, when goals from Glenn Murray and Jason Puncheon helped the Eagles to a 2-1 victory over City. That, however, is also the only time they have even scored against Man City in the last six Premier League meetings, during which time they have conceded 11 goals.

Four of those goals came the last time these two sides met in January as Manuel Pellegrini's Man City cruised to victory at the Etihad courtesy of strikes from Delph, Aguero (2) and Silva, who has scored three goals in his last three games against the Eagles. The corresponding fixture to this one last season, however, saw Palace almost nick a point until Kelechi Iheanacho's 90th-minute winner rescued City.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here! Both these sides need a win, but which way will the points go? We're about to find out, but first we will have a minute of silence in memory of the fatal Croydon tram crash.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Sergio Aguero gets us underway at the Etihad.

UPDATE: It has taken just 35 seconds for the first goal of the Premier League 3pm kickoffs, and it has gone to Watford against Leicester courtesy of Etienne Capoue.

It's been a rather scrappy start to the match here at Selhurst Park. City, as expected, as seeing more of the ball, but no goalmouth action to report so far.

Palace have their first chance to break forward as Townsend surges upfield with the ball, but he stumbles and the attacking platform comes to an end.

City win a corner here which Nolito swings towards the near post, and for a moment it looks like it might sneak in before McArthur smuggles it behind for another corner.

Best attacking moment of the match so far for Palace as Zaha twists and turns on his way inside from the left flank, getting into the box only to be finally stopped by Fernandinho just as he was about to pull the trigger.

I was expecting Palace to sit back more than they are doing today, simply in order to create more space on the counter-attack. They have gone into the game with their usual attacking mindset, though, and so far it seems to be serving them fine.

SHOT! Benteke gets his first chance to shoot here, but he has to take it quickly and can only drag it wide.

UPDATE: It is all happening at Vicarage Road at the moment! It is 2-1 to Watford against Leicester after just 15 minutes, with Pereyra, doubling the hosts' lead before Mahrez pulled one back from the spot.

Good work from Sterling on the right flank as he swerves on way then the other, beating his man only to see his low cross into the box cleared away.

Selhurst Park rises together in the 19th minute in memory of 19-year-old Crystal Palace fans Dane Chinnery and Harry Davies.

Alan Pardew will be pretty pleased with what he has seen from his side in the first quarter of this match. City have not dominated quite as much as they would have expected and Hennessey has enjoyed a quiet 22 minutes so far.

Concern for Man City here as Bravo clatters into Kompany when coming to claim a ball just inside his area. There are always fears when the skipper stays down, and Guardiola will be hoping that this is only an impact injury.

This doesn't look particularly good for Kompany. He is still down and physios look to be checking for any signs of concussion. Guardiola won't take any chances, but Kompany will also not want to come off having only just returned.

The good news for City fans is that Kompany is back up on his feet and back on the field. It looks like he will be able to continue after all.

City come forward down the right flank here and Sterling whips a tantalizing cross into the box that is so difficult to defend against. However, Nolito is just a yard or so short of connecting and the ball runs through to safety.

At the other end, Palace have a free kick in a good position...

...Cabaye goes for goal, but it is a poor effort from the Frenchman and goes comfortably behind for a goal kick.

CHANCE! Aguero has been very quiet so far today, but he has his first sniff of goal here. Kolarov races on to a through-ball down the left flank and whips a cross into the box, but it is at an awkward height for Aguero. The striker may have been better off going with his head, but instead he couldn't steer his shot towards goal.

Kompany is down again here, and it looks like he is still suffering from that collision with Bravo a few minutes ago. That could be the last we see of the skipper today.

Sure enough, Kompany departs with the latest in a long line of problems, his comeback lasting less than 36 minutes.

MAN CITY SUB: Pablo Zabaleta comes on place of the unlucky Kompany.

Back in the team and back on the scoresheet! Yaya Toure finds the breakthrough for Man City, and it all starts with Palace giving the ball away carelessly deep inside their own half. Toure's initial pass to Aguero is poor, but he then gets it back, plays a one-two with Nolito and fires his effort into the top corner with the help of a deflection!

Talk about two contrasting returns to the side! Just a couple of minutes after Kompany was forced off on just his second Premier League start of the season, Toure marks his first league game of the campaign with a goal. It is the first shot on target of the match for either side, and it is the difference between the two teams as things stand.

UPDATE: Some more bad news for Palace as Swansea take a surprise lead against Everton at Goodison Park, Gylfi Sigurdsson getting the opener from the penalty spot.

Fernandinho is a little fortunate to avoid a yellow card here as he comes through the back of Cabaye - not his first foul of the half. That may be his last warning, though.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half at Selhurst Park, and it is Man City who have the lead at the break. It has not been a particularly action-packed game so far, though, with City struggling to gain their usual level of control over their opponents. There has been just the one shot on target so far, although that did result in the only goal of the game.

That goal came from Yaya Toure as he marked his first league appearance of the season with a goal just six minutes before the interval. Palace certainly didn't help themselves with a sloppy ball out of defence, and while City's momentum looked to have stalled for a moment, Toure picked the ball up on the edge of the box, exchanged passes with Nolito and then fired home via a deflection which left Hennessey with no chance.

Aside from that, there really has been very little goalmouth action to speak of. City's only other sniff of goal came six minutes earlier when Kolarov delivered a cross towards Aguero, who couldn't steer it towards goal. It did arrive at an awkward height for the Argentine, but he may have been better served going for it with his head. As for Palace, their best attacking moment was a dragged shot from Benteke which never looked like going in.

Aside from Toure's goal, the other biggest talking point of the match so far came from another returning Man City player. Kompany's return was not quite as successful, though, with the injury-plagued City skipper lasting just 35 minutes before being forced off with what looked like concussion. He suffered the problem in a collision with Bravo, and could now be set for another spell - albeit hopefully a brief one - on the sidelines.

KICKOFF: Palace get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to note is that Pardew have made a change at the break, with Connor Wickham replacing Townsend.

Decent football from City at the start of the half as Sterling plays a slick one-two with De Bruyne, but the winger is prevented from bursting into the box and Palace eventually win the ball back and clear.

Man City, as ever, look to play their way out from the back, but Bravo was close to giving the ball away there. Had Wickham managed to stick his foot out there then it could have been trouble for the visitors.

Zabaleta is not happy with Puncheon here, and rightly so. The full-back is making a good run into the box down the right flank and, completely off the ball, Puncheon sticks his leg out to trip the Argentine cynically. That was very naughty from the Palace man.

Being at Selhurst Park, Zabaleta has now developed into the villain of the piece, but he has ever right to feel aggrieved at that from Puncheon. It may be something that the FA look at retrospectively.

Silly play for Kolarov as he comes through the back of Zaha on the Crystal Palace right, giving away a free kick in a good crossing position. The delivery from Cabaye, though, is dreadful and fails to beat the first man.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Palace to level things up! Puncheon does well down the left to beat Zabaleta on his way to the byline before standing a cross up for Benteke. The Belgian rises high and plants a firm downward header towards goal, but Bravo makes a fine stop before Zaha's follow-up effort goes wide via a deflection.

CHANCE! Guardiola said Benteke was unbeatable in the air, and so it is proving right now! From the resulting corner Benteke attacks it really well again, but this time it is blocked on the way through and hacked clear before it becomes a goalmouth scramble.

SHOT! Better from City after weathering that storm. Aguero wins a corner and the resulting delivery falls to the Argentine too, but having ducked onto his left foot he can only slice his effort well wide.

SHOT! Another City shot, but again it is never troubling Hennessey. Sterling checks back and looks for support, which comes in the form of Aguero and De Bruyne. He chooses the latter, picking De Bruyne out with a square pass, but the Belgian fires his first-time effort well over.

YELLOW CARD! Nolito goes into the book for a mistimed challenge on McArthur. Otamendi, incidentally, also picked up a booking for dissent during Palace's spell of pressure.

Palace are just going to keep on peppering the City box with crosses, and you can see exactly why. Benteke looks dangerous every time he leaps for a header.

OFF THE LINE! City are inches away from doubling their lead as Aguero flicks an effort towards goal from the near post, but Ward is there to slide in and clear it just as it was about to creep over the line.

Ruthless counter-attacking from Crystal Palace! Just seconds after clearing the ball off the line at one end, Palace have it in the back of the net at the other! It is Wickham who gets it, knocking the ball past Zabaleta on his way into the box and then smashing a left-footed effort past Bravo at his near post. Bravo should probably do better at the near post, but there was so much power on it.

MAN CITY SUB: Guardiola responds to that equaliser with a sub as David Silva replaces Nolito.

Could City be on course for more dropped points? Well, as things stand Liverpool are also being held to a draw and Arsenal also drew earlier, so they wouldn't be losing any ground today. It is turning into a very good day for Chelsea, though!

CHANCE! Big chance for City to regain the lead! Zabaleta whips a vicious ball into the middle that Sterling chests towards goal, but he gets too much on it and puts it the wrong side of the post.

CHANCE! Another chance for the visitors as a low corner is fizzed into the box. Silva steps over it for Kolarov to steer it towards goal, but it is straight at Hennessey.

This match is very finely poised heading into the final 15 minutes here. Both sides look dangerous coming forward and I would not like to pick a winner right now. I can see another goal, though!

YELLOW CARD! His name is on the scoresheet and now in the book too as Wickham brings down De Bruyne.

Half a chance for De Bruyne as the ball falls to him on the edge of the box, but he slices his attempted first-time effort well off target. It was a difficult one, but a player of his quality may have expected to do better.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Interesting change from Pardew here as Benteke departs to be replaced by Lee Chung-yong.

What a story this is! He was the forgotten man yesterday, but today he is the Man City hero! Yaya Toure gets his second of the afternoon, but it is dreadful marking from Palace. The midfielder is left completely unmarked from a corner and a low ball goes all the way through to him in the centre of the goal. From there, it is a simple task to just turn it home and maybe nick all three points for the visitors.

Palace have played pretty well this afternoon, but it looks as though they will go home empty-handed once again here. They need to start picking up points from somewhere!

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Pardew makes a change here as Bakary Sakho replaces Ward.

MAN CITY SUB: City make a change of their own, with Aguero departing to be replaced by Fernando.

There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match. Some late hope for Palace?

It looks like being five defeats on the spin for Palace, then, but once again their performance has not been too bad today. As poor as their form is results-wise, in terms of performances they can consider themselves fairly hard done by.

CLOSE! Almost a dramatic late equaliser for Palace as Zaha gets down the right and plays a low ball into the middle which Puncheon is able to poke towards the bottom corner. It dribbles agonisingly wide, though.

It's all over at Selhurst Park, then, and it is a win for Manchester City at Selhurst Park. The headlines will all be written by Yaya Toure, though, who was recalled to the starting lineup by Pep Guardiola today and responded with a match-winning brace on his first league appearance of the campaign. Connor Wickham had equalised off the bench for Palace in the second half, but it is now five defeats in a row for Pardew's side, while City move joint top of the table.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as the prodigal son Yaya Toure returns to score twice in a 2-1 victory for Manchester City over Crystal Palace, firing City joint top of the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!