Striker Arturo Lupoli could be the odd man out again tonight - despite scoring in City's last home match. If manager Glenn Roeder selects one central striker against Crystal Palace, as he did at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, on-loan Leroy Lita looks certain to continue as the chosen one with Wes Hoolahan likely to adopt a free role just behind him.

Striker Arturo Lupoli could be the odd man out again tonight - despite scoring in City's last home match.

If manager Glenn Roeder selects one central striker against Crystal Palace, as he did at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, on-loan Leroy Lita looks certain to continue as the chosen one with Wes Hoolahan likely to adopt a free role just behind him.

Lupoli started a first team match for the first time for more than eight weeks when he faced Swansea 10 days ago, and opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season in the Canaries' 3-2 defeat.

But the 21-year-old Italian was substituted 25 minutes from time against the Swans and was back on the bench at the City Ground without getting into the action.

Asked if Lupoli came into his thinking tonight, Roeder said: "Yes, he will do, certainly if Sibierski doesn't make it. But if we start with just Leroy as our only central striker it mustn't be perceived as a negative formation, which unfortunately, most supporters in this country view it as.

"My answer to that would be that Jose Mourinho won the Premiership title twice at Chelsea with just Drogba through the middle, playing exactly that formation, 4-3-3.

"You can't win the Premiership being negative. It's horses for courses and round pegs in round holes. If you've got the players who can play that system, it is a very attack-minded system and not a negative system at all."