Crystal Palace vs Manchester United | Premier League
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United will be the guests at Selhurst Park this evening as an impressive Crystal Palace side welcomes Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Højlund and co for an intriguing installation of Monday night football.
Following an action-packed Premier League weekend that offered 32 goals across nine fixtures, with a victorious Newcastle and Chelsea climbing above United, Ten Hag’s side have dropped to eighth place with a fixture in hand.
Despite an underwhelming run of form that has returned a solitary victory in six Premier League outings, a win this evening would propel the Reds into sixth position on 57 points, only three off a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side in fifth place – with Ange Postecoglou’s outfit enduring four straight league defeats.
With Harry Maguire sustaining a muscle injury that will rule him out for three to four weeks, the travelling support can anticipate another defensive variation in a season that has returned a costly sum of injuries, with multiple questions regarding the training regiments and individual recovery programmes.
Action is scheduled to get underway at 20:00 GMT, with the Old Trafford faithful eager for a credible performance to accompany the desired three points. Ahead of the fixture, let’s dive into some pre-match statistics to whet the appetite and study the task at hand for the Dutch tactician and his injury-riddled squad.
Key Information
In what has been a forgettable season, United have already tasted defeat in twelve league outings – with four of those losses coming in London against Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham. The Reds have never lost five away games in the capital in a single season.
Historically, May has proved to be a difficult month on the road for United, with losses in eight of their last 14 away Premier League fixtures – including a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in 2022. Oliver Glasner has impressed since he arrived at Palace in February, winning their previous two home fixtures and scoring seven.
Ten Hag’s future in Manchester is an unknown variable – with supporters sharing mixed opinions about his suitability. Having dropped three points at home to the Eagles in September, the Dutchman will be eager to finish the season strong and not allow his opponents a first-ever league double against his side. The last manager to leave with three points was Ole Gunnar Solskjær in 2020.
Team News
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will be assessed in the run-up to 8 PM as the Portuguese international is carrying an unspecified issue. As mentioned above, Harry Maguire is unavailable – as is Marcus Rashford. Scott McTominay will be evaluated with a late fitness test. Meanwhile, the enigmatic figure of Anthony Martial has joined veteran defender Jonny Evans in returning to training.
United target Marc Guehi is in line to return for Palace after two months on the sidelines with a knee injury, with another target Eberechi Eze declared fit following a niggling knee concern that saw him miss last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Fulham.
Let us know how you think this one will play out, and feel free to pop your score predictions below.