Manchester United meet Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend after a convincing 3-0 victory over the same side midweek in the Carabao Cup. Read on for Last Word on Football’s predictions for Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace and the best odds for the match at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United vs Crystal Palace Predictions and Best Odds as Optimism Grows at Old Trafford
Watch: Manchester United in crisis
Manchester United Run of Form
The Red Devils’ start to this Premier League campaign has been far from ideal but Erik ten Hag’s team put in an impressive display to dismantle the Eagles in the midweek Carabao Cup meeting. Sofyan Amrabat was the key man in this display, starting in the left-back role but manoeuvring around the pitch in excellent fashion. Including this fixture, Manchester United have six home games in the next seven games so there is a chance to build some momentum with a victory over Crystal Palace.
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It is now two wins, four goals and none conceded from the last couple of outings. The 1-0 win at Burnley in their last league outing was a tight affair and improvements will be needed here as the opposition are more than capable of claiming a scalp at this level. The last two home league outings have seen them concede five goals against Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
This indicates that there are still problems defensively but Harry Maguire put in a solid showing in the cup win and with a more settled midfield of Casemiro, Amrabat, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes it should be expected that Ten Hag has finally got the options to see up a more balanced and solidified midfield. The younger players, such as Alejandro Garnacho and Hannibal Mejbri will provide a much-needed energy boost if selected. The main objective here will be to guard against complacency.
Crystal Palace Run of Form
Roy Hodgson admitted before the Carabao Cup defeat that his side were struggling with injuries. There will be key names missing for this one too, with top scorer Odsonne Edouard, Michael Olise and Jefferson Lerma the stand-out names unavailable for selection.
It will be a welcome relief to return to league action for the Eagles, who sit just one point behind their opponents after six fixtures. They may struggle to create opportunities as displayed in the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford but there are defensive issues to address ahead of the weekend. It is now ten goals conceded in the last five matches in all competitions and they will need to tighten up if they are to get anything from this game.
Marc Guehi must start here if there is to be any chance of a positive result. The six-cap England International is one of the best defenders in the Premier League and his absence has been felt when he has been absent this season. Hodgson will need his players to follow his regular captain’s example and illustrate incredible work-rate to keep the opposing team at bay.
Recent Head-to-Head
As mentioned multiple times above, the home side were 3-0 victors over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup this week. Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial were the goalscorers. That makes it three wins from the last five competitive outings for the Red Devils.
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However, the Eagles have had some league success at Old Trafford in recent history winning 3-1 in September 2020 and 2-1 in August 2019. Jordan Ayew is the only player to have scored in either of these victories to still be at the club.
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace Prediction
The injury list is starting to affect Crystal Palace in a creative capacity and although they were comfortably dispatched in cup action by the same opponents, it must be expected that they will be stronger and put in a better performance here.
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If Ten Hag can set up tactically to accommodate his better players his side should have too much for the visitors. They might have to work a little bit more for the result but it should be three points on the road to Premier League revival.
Current Odds: Manchester United vs Crystal Palace
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