With Manchester City lagging eight points behind Liverpool, a visit to Selhurst Park represents an awkward test as Pep Guardiola’s side seek to return to winning ways. A City team tripped up by Norwich also came unstuck against Wolves last time out and on Saturday they face a Palace side with form for making life difficult.

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Across the past three seasons under Guardiola, only Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool have taken more league points off City than the four Palace have mustered. Other teams have tried and failed miserably: Arsenal have eked out a single point from the past six meetings, while West Ham and Watford remain pointless against Guardiola over the same period.

Last season Palace won 3-2 at City in December, with Andros Townsend’s stunning 30-yard volley the lasting snapshot, as Guardiola’s side slipped to a first defeat of the season. Luka Milivojevic, the dependable Palace captain, scored his team’s third with a penalty and, but for a rare miss from the spot in injury time 12 months earlier (the midfielder has scored 20 of his 22 penalties since joining Palace), Roy Hodgson’s side would have had another victory over City, to go with a 2-1 win under Alan Pardew in 2015, when Jason Puncheon’s free-kick felled the then champions.

“People like Alan and Roy, you have to give them respect because they don’t go up against any team saying: ‘We are going to sit in,’” says Puncheon, who spent five years at Palace and now plays for Pafos in Cyprus. “They go to win those games and you have to give them credit for that. Most managers are resigned to the fact they are going to get beat three or four-nil. They go into games trying to win them and, for me, that is the Crystal Palace identity.

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“Palace have always had a knack of playing against the big teams and stepping up when needed, especially against City. I look back and there have been two or three pivotal games, one under Alan Pardew. We played Glenn Murray up front and the manager played a three in midfield and Wilf [Zaha] and Yannick Bolasie on the wings and the manager just said: ‘Press, press.’

“In the first 20 minutes we could have been 2-0 up and we just worked our socks off and got the result, and that wasn’t as talented a team as Palace have got now. At that time, when we went in front, teams wouldn’t beat us – we knew how to lock out a game.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jason Puncheon slides on his knees in celebration after scoring against Manchester City in 2015. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Milivojevic may have had that stoppage-time penalty saved by Ederson – “Luka is never normally like that” – but a 0-0 draw ended City’s 18-match winning run in the league and garnered belief for the following season, when Palace claimed their first win at City for 28 years, ending Guardiola’s 100% home league record that season.

Hodgson played down the significance of that triumph, comparing the magnitude of such a landmark victory to winning an stage in the Tour de France, instead challenging his squad to repeat the level of performance. His players listened, with Palace going on to record victories at Arsenal, Burnley, Leicester and Wolves. This season Palace have toppled Manchester United and now have City in their sights.

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“Palace have individuals that can turn a game,” Puncheon says. “You’ve got impact players such as Wilf, Andros, Jordan [Ayew] and Christian [Benteke], when he’s on form. But you can’t forget people like James McArthur, who is an unsung hero in that team – he is top-10 Premier League player when he is at it; Luka is great on set pieces; Jeffrey Schlupp ghosts past you and he is massive impact player but people don’t see that because of the flashing lights.”

That said, is there still a reliance on Zaha to make things happen? “The pressure does need to be taken off him but it is not a one-man show,” the 33-year-old says. “Messi doesn’t do it on his own, Ronaldo doesn’t do it on his own – they still need great players around them and that’s proven.”

Hodgson will be determined for Palace, who are sixth, two points behind City, to build on their impressive start to the season. “Roy is brilliant,” Puncheon says. “He knows his way and how he will want to win the game but he will also talk about the most important thing: his players keeping the ball and playing.

“He will want to make sure Palace play their football. Crystal Palace will go into it looking to get three points – that will be their aim. It has been a fantastic start and I want it to continue, for them to push on and to sit there as a fan at the end of the season and see them in the top 10. They can make teams look over their shoulder and say: ‘Look, we’re here.’”