We travel to Selhurst Park for a 17:30 (UK) kick-off on Saturday before welcoming the German side to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in the second leg of our last-16 clash.
With the score in that tie is 1-1 after last month’s first leg in Leipzig, it’s all to play for at the Etihad Stadium.
However, with City hunting Premier League leaders Arsenal, Guardiola knows his side must first focus on the challenge of Patrick Vieira’s Palace.
Guardiola | Foden update ahead of Palace clash
The Catalan has a strong record at the Eagles’ home, having won four and drawn two of his six previous Premier League visits to South London.
Asked on Friday whether he has one eye on the upcoming Champions League match, our boss said: “Absolutely not. We’re playing for the Premier League.
“The most important thing is the Premier League, absolutely. We came from one long week, so we could rest, take days off and then they trained really good.
“I’m not thinking about Leipzig. Crystal Palace deserves a lot of attention for what happened for the quality. [Jordan] Ayew, [Eberechi] Eze, [Wilfried] Zaha - they have a lot of weapons up front.
“The quality they have up front is unbelievable. We have to pay attention.
“A small pitch with a crowd supporting the team, understand incredibly in the build-up, the long balls, and switch of plays and set-pieces, they scored two goals here with set-pieces.
“We have to be careful but the players know it already.”
City have enjoyed the rare luxury of a full week of training ahead of Saturday’s match.
The players were granted two days off after last Saturday’s win over Newcastle but Guardiola has since made the most of the opportunity to work with his squad.
“Review things we can’t do when we play every few days,” he said when asked how he has utilised that time.
“Actions from set-pieces or actions you prioritise. When you have a long week, there is one thing we didn’t talk about for a long time, we didn’t practice that, it comes with three games in a short time.
“And after the international break if we go through in the competitions, in the Champions League and FA Cup, hopefully it is going to happen, April will be so demanding. So we must review things we do without losing our principles.”
With matches in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup still to come before this month’s international break, it’s a pivotal week.
And the return to fitness of Aymeric Laporte and John Stones has bolstered Guardiola’s options as the pressure intensifies.
The boss is pleased to have the pair back in contention but stopped short of promising them starting berths.
“Absolutely, so important,” he said when asked about their return.
“I don’t know if I have a big vision of the line-up [against Palace]. I’m not 100 percent but of course rotation will be important. Not top like in September, October or November.
“If the players are playing good they will continue to play. This is a little bit my feeling now.”
Crystal Palace v City
Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, whilst our Matchday Live show will begin at 16:30 (UK).
Ian Holloway, Nedum Onuoha and Steve Howey are our special guests on the latest Matchday Live show, offering their expert insight before, during and after the action.
They will also answer viewer questions throughout the broadcast, with audience participation actively encouraged on Matchday Live. To get in touch, send a WhatsApp to: +447537186538.
During the game you can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Andy Morrison while our text commentary continues.
Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.
Short highlights will be live at 21:15 before extended highlights, as well as a full-match replay [available on CITY+ and Recast] can be accessed from midnight.
