Manchester United will host Crystal Palace in the Premier League after their meeting in the EFL Cup. Last time out, the Red Devils defeated the Eagles 3-0, and they are now looking to close the month on a high by securing their third straight victory across all competitions.
Preview (Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace)
Man United had a terrible start to September. They dropped three straight games and gave up 10 goals in the process. They have since righted the ship with two significant victories over Burnley in the Premier League and Palace in the EFL Cup. Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro, and Anthony Martial scored to help the EFL Cup holders defeat a powderpuff Palace team and advance to the fourth round, where they will face last season’s beaten finalists Newcastle United, who eliminated Manchester City, at the end of October. The Red Devils previously defeated Burnley with a hard-fought 1-0 victory last weekend.
Erik ten Hag thinks his team is improving and that there is “still a lot to come” from his players. They gear up for the second of four straight home games in all competitions. They start on Saturday against Palace. United followed up with Galatasaray in the Champions League and Brentford in the Premier League. Man United is presently eighth in the Premier League table and five points behind the top four. The Red Devils can be confident in building off their spirit-boosting victory over Palace in the middle of the week.
At the beginning of the new season, Crystal Palace had a solid start. They earned seven points from their first four Premier League games. They defeated Plymouth Argyle by a score of four to advance to the second round of the EFL Cup. After losing 3-1 to Aston Villa and drawing 0-0 with Fulham at home, Roy Hodgson’s team has since lost their last three games in all competitions. Palace, who are only one spot and one point behind Man United in the Premier League standings. They have generally struggled to get good results in the top division when they travel. They defeated relegated teams Leeds United and Southampton last season before narrowly beating Sheffield United 1-0 on the opening weekend of this year.
Team News
In addition to the five players who are injured: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia (all muscle), Amad Diallo (knee), and Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), Man United will be missing Antony (leave of absence) and Jadon Sancho (discipline reasons). The midweek absences of Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen, and Sergio Reguilon due to illness should not prevent them from making a return to the matchday squad on Saturday. Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund are all expected to return. Sofyan Amrabat made his Red Devils debut in midweek as a temporary left-back. He might start the game in midfield instead of defense.
Dean Henderson was forced off during his midweek debut due to a groin injury. He will be in the treatment room along with Michael Olise (thigh), Matheus Franca (back), Jefferson Lerma (hamstring), and James Tomkins (calf). Odsonne Edouard and Naouirou Ahamada will be evaluated before kickoff. Jairo Riedewald suffered a knock against the Red Devils and missed the midweek trip to Old Trafford.
Hodgson has led Palace to several successful outcomes at Old Trafford over the years. Victory on Saturday will be difficult if they are unable to turn around their recent goal-scoring problems. Man United must match their overwhelming performance from Tuesday with another one this weekend. For the Red Devils, anything less than victory here would feel like taking one step forward and two steps back. Ten Hag is likely to select a better team, we see the hosts taking home the three points.
Manchester United 2 – 0 Crystal Palace
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