"It will be an explosive game" – Patrice Evra expects 'lots of goals' as he makes interesting prediction for Manchester City vs Crystal Palace

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has expressed his excitement ahead of Manchester City's home clash against Crystal Palace on August 27, predicting a 3-2 win for the hosts.

Manchester City, who are currently second in the Premier League table with seven points, are unbeaten so far this season. After beating West Ham United 2-0 and Bournemouth 4-0, the Premier League champions were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Newcastle United on August 21.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have picked up four points from three matches so far. After losing their season opener 2-0 to Arsenal, Patrick Vieira's side eked out a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. The club registered their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa last weekend (August 20).

In his column for Metro, Evra shared his thoughts about the upcoming Premier League contest at the Etihad Stadium. He wrote:

"This is going to be a great game. I'm excited for this one, normally we'd just say City are going to win but this is the kind of game where anything can happen. Patrick Vieira is doing an amazing job, and he's got really talented players everywhere, they have no fear. I can see lots of goals."

He added:

"I have to back City because the way they came back and the spirit they showed against Newcastle, they showed character instead of just tactics, they showed their personality. It will be an explosive game."

In their last outing, Manchester City clawed their way back from being 3-1 down at St. James' Park. After Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring in the 5th minute, the Magpies scored three goals through Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.

However, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva scored two goals within a space of three minutes near the hour-mark and helped their side maintain their unbeaten streak. Pep Guardiola's side are now expected to put pressure on league leaders Arsenal with a win over Crystal Palace.

Gabriel Agbonlahor claims Nathan Akes' injury will be a 'blow' to Manchester City

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor shared his two cents on how Manchester City can cope with defender Nathan Ake's absence due to a groin injury. He said:

"I think it will be a blow but I think Manchester City are the sort of team that will be fine. They've [John] Stones, [Ruben] Dias, Rodri who can go back there and do a job. There’s Kalvin Phillips who can come in and play there as well."