Manchester City will bid to avenge their loss in last season’s FA Cup final when they travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Eagles stunned Pep Guardiola’s side at Wembley in May, winning 1-0 to deny them some consolation after underwhelming Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
Oliver Glasner’s team have built on that success since and are fourth in the table heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures.
City are still lacking the consistency they have become famed for in recent years but they are now back firmly in the title picture and claimed a memorable victory at Real Madrid in midweek.
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Assistant manager Kolo Toure believes Palace will find them a different proposition this time.
The former City defender, who joined Guardiola’s backroom staff in the summer, said: "The team still plays the football that they used to play but one thing they have more is aggression, the fighting for the second balls for example.
"We know the Premier League it is a very physical league. Having the ball is top but when you don’t have it, you have to fight. That’s the difference from last season.
"The team is growing. It is getting better every single game, every single day and that’s what we want. We are growing and let’s see where we’re going to be at the end of the season.”
Assistant manager Kolo Toure believes Palace will find them a different proposition this time
|PA
Palace have won four of their last six league games, losing only once.
Toure recognises they will be tough opponents but is confident City can win if they are at their best.
He said: “They are a top team.”
The former Manchester City player, who is now part of the coaching staff, fulfilled pre-match media duties for the game as Guardiola dealt with a personal matter.
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The Eagles stunned Pep Guardiola’s side at Wembley in May
|PA
He added: "They are really good, fourth in the league, a difficult club to score goals against, but for us we focus on what we can do.
"We know that if we play our football and work hard as a team we can beat any team in this league, for sure.”
Guardiola will be in charge as usual at Selhurst Park. Defender John Stones is due to undergo a late fitness test but Rodri remains on the sidelines.
The fixture takes place on Sunday during an action-packed weekend of Premier League football.
Manchester City will bid to avenge their loss in last season’s FA Cup final when they travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday
|PA
Four matches take place on Saturday, those being Chelsea vs Everton, Liverpool vs Brighton, Burnley vs Fulham and Arsenal vs Wolves.
Sunday features Crystal Palace v Man City, Nottingham Forest v Tottenham, Sunderland v Newcastle, West Ham v Aston Villa and Brentford v Leeds.
Monday concludes the weekend with Manchester United vs AFC Bournemouth.
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