PEP GUARDIOLA DEMANDED his Manchester City players “accept the challenge” as the defending Premier League champions look to “survive the season.”

City fell behind twice in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park, where Rico Lewis scored a second-half equaliser before he was sent off, ruling him out of next Sunday’s Manchester derby.

Guardiola was missing seven potential starters through injury or illness for the trip to south London and he said: “It’s football, and we know that this season will be like this.

“What I said to the players (was) ‘Don’t feel sorry. Please accept the challenge’.

“It will be more difficult, but that’s what it is and maybe at the end we will have more satisfaction, in the way that we are going to (respond) to these problems, than maybe in the other seasons that we won the title.

“All teams want their players always fit and ready and unfortunately since the beginning that could not happen, and it’s going to be, I think, for longer.

“But one way or the other, we are going to try.”

City, with 27 points, are eight behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after their Merseyside derby was postponed by Storm Darragh.

John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri and Oscar Bobb were all ruled out of the Palace trip by injury while Phil Foden was unavailable due to illness.

Erling Haaland’s 13th goal of the season cancelled out Daniel Munoz’s fourth-minute opener.

Summer signing Maxence Lacroix opened his Palace account to fire the hosts back in front after the break, but Lewis salvaged a draw in the 68th minute before he was controversially booked for a second time following a challenge with Trevoh Chalobah.

With Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias all having recently returned from injury, Guardiola is thin on fully-fit personnel.

“The season starts difficult, it will be difficult all season,” added the City boss, whose side next travel to Juventus for Wednesday’s Champions League encounter.

“We have to survive the season, every game, try to take points, to try to win games and go forward.

“Unfortunately (Lewis) is an important player for us for the next game against United at home, but in general what they have done in the circumstances is really, really good.”

“From the beginning, everything was wrong and unlucky in many things and we have to continue with that, with the players that we have at our disposal.

“We go to the Champions League now in Turin and try to perform well, and we take the results.”

Crystal Palace’s season has been the mirror image of their opponents’.

While City have slumped since late October, it was at the same point that the Eagles snapped an eight-game winless streak with victory over Tottenham.

Palace have now picked up 10 points from their last seven top-flight games but remain 17th, four points clear of Ipswich in the relegation zone.

Glasner, who said he deliberately dialled up Palace’s “intensity” in Saturday’s stalemate, said: “We don’t feel unlucky. It was a good performance, but I think we can do better.

“It’s always up to the players. You support them. It’s important to be fit and stay fit, otherwise you never reach your best. You can’t play on your best level.

“You need the training, you need the games, you need the minutes. We need all the players fit, we need them sharp, being ready to play how we want to play.

“I think then we still have a lot of potential to improve.”