Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace, Premier League 2017: Managers Press Conferences

Manchester City and Crystal Palace face off at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in what is certainly a crucial Premier League match for both teams. City need three points to get closer to a top-four finish, while Palace want the victory to secure another season in the top flight.

Managers Pep Guardiola and Sam Allardyce spoke to the media this week, and below is a rundown of the coaches' quotes:

“No [Aguero is not fit]. Hopefully next one but this game no. Yesterday was the first training session [Silva completed since injury]. The action from the semi-final in the FA Cup, he is still not perfect. Claudio out until next season and John maybe in the next games [he will return].

“It is still in our hands. We will see if we can make a step forward and qualify. If we win all four games, we will definitely be in the Champions League, maybe in the third position. It depends on us. Our home games were not perfect in the season and we have to change it if we want to play in Europe next season.

“The first two months were good then we were inconsistent. We were more inconsistent than consistent.

"In the boxes, we were not good, and in this league, everything happens in the boxes. In other leagues, the people in the middle take care of the process. Here, nothing happens in the middle. We were not strong in that way, and that is why we have suffered this season.

“It’s no surprise because I was a fan of the Premier League as a teenager, as an adult, as a player and as a manager. When I was on my sofa watching the games in the Premier League, I realized how they play here. It’s your culture. You create that football, and for all your careers, you are used to playing that way. That’s why we have to adapt. I knew that when I came here.

"Palace have huge quality in their strikers. When they arrive, Benteke is one of the strongest players in the box in the world."

Source: ManCity.com, PremierLeague.com

"City are the best team in the league at winning the ball back in the opposition's half, the best defensively in your half.

"Andros [Townsend] felt a twinge in his Achilles in training today so we took him off as a precaution but hopefully he will be ok for tomorrow but Yohan and the centre halves are still out injured so we are light in terms of numbers at the moment.

"Mama has gone out to France for some rehabilitation so he is totally focused trying to recover from the injury and I think it will be beneficial for him having made the trip over there as he is getting individual attention rather than being here where our medical staff have many other players to look after on a day to day basis. I am always against putting a time frame on injuries because recovery really depends on each individual but him being over there certainly gives himself the best chance to recover as quickly as he can."

Source: CPFC, PremierLeague.com