MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expects Crystal Palace to be "professional" in its team selection against Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League season, when the destination of the title might be decided.
Title Race Update
Second-place City trails Arsenal by five points in the Premier League but holds a game in hand. That match is scheduled against Palace on Wednesday.
To win the title, City will likely need Arsenal to drop points against Palace, considering the leaders are heavy favorites to win their remaining game at home against already-relegated Burnley on Monday.
Guardiola's Comments
Asked if he was concerned that Palace might field a weakened team, Guardiola said: "They are so professional. Crystal Palace will play their best side against us."
He added: "We saw Leeds [United] against Tottenham [last weekend], even being out of the relegation battle and staying in the Premier League, compete so hard. We've also experienced difficult games against Aston Villa and West Ham when they had nothing to play for."
Palace's Position
West Ham's loss to Arsenal on Sunday mathematically ensured Palace cannot be relegated.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose team reached the Conference League final by beating Shakhtar Donetsk last week, said it would be "nonsense" to criticize him for rotating the squad.
"I'm not responsible for Arsenal or Manchester City," Glasner said. "I'm responsible for Crystal Palace, and I get paid to do the best things for our club."