Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne selection latest ahead of Man City vs Crystal Palace

Pep Guardiola insists he will not think about Tuesday's trip to Real Madrid when he selects his Manchester City starting line up against Crystal Palace this afternoon.

With a little over two-and-a-half days between Wednesday's win over Aston Villa and Saturday's lunchtime trip to Crystal Palace, Guardiola insists he will give his squad as long as possible to recover before selecting a starting XI. That marks a departure from his usual pre-match routine, where he often tries to name his team as early as possible.

Guardiola rested Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne on Wednesday but wouldn't confirm that they were guaranteed to start at Selhurst Park, instead explaining what must happen for them to be on the teamsheet. The manager also raved about Phil Foden's form this season and discussed Stefan Ortega's chances of retaining his place with Ederson back in contention to feature.

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After keeping his cards close to his chest on his team selection, Guardiola did explain how he will decide if Haaland and De Bruyne are able to start against Palace - suggesting that there are no fitness concerns over the pair following the Villa game.

"It will depend if they play on the way we're going to play," Guardiola said, adding that the result will determine how outsiders perceive the decision to use them. "If we play good they'll be fresh, if we don't play good they won't be fresh. It's not legs. They are physically good, they are fit - it's not a problem. It's how the team play, makes the players individually