Manchester City winger Jesus Navas has called for the English champions to end their London hoodoo when they face Crystal Palace on Easter Monday.
City have not won in the capital this season, having drawn Premier League fixtures at Chelsea, Arsenal and QPR as well as losing at West Ham.
And Navas knows the current champions must raise their level if they are to defeat Alan Pardew’s Palace at Selhurst Park.
Navas said: “I think they are a very difficult team to beat, especially since Pardew took over. They play with a lot of intensity so we will have to be very focused.
“We haven’t won in London this season so we want to end that run. We know they will come at us and that their supporters will be noisy if we allow them to get on top so we need to try and take control as quickly as possible.”
With Chelsea six points ahead of City with a game in hand, Manuel Pellegrini’s men know they cannot afford another slip up if they are to defend their title.
However, with Manchester United facing Aston Villa and Arsenal hosting Liverpool on Saturday, there is a possibility City could start their Palace game in fourth place.
And despite the fact that City have not been below second since November, Navas insists the focus remains on chasing Chelsea.
“We know we have to win this game to keep the pressure up on Chelsea and our rivals,” he said.
“There few strong teams coming from behind and we need to get wins in order to catch Chelsea which is still possible.
“There are teams that are pushing to close the gap with us and we really need to win to preserve our position. As far as the title is concerned, the only thing we can do is try to win all our remaining games and see what happens.”
With no injury worries for Pellegrini, City will head to the capital with a fully fit squad after the international break.
Main image courtesy of Manchester City FC via YouTube, with thanks.
