Manchester United will aim to make it three consecutive wins across all competitions on Saturday evening when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will be seeking against Oliver Glasner’s side after they suffered a horrific 4-0 loss to the Eagles away in May. They may have not enjoyed an ideal start to the season but Erik ten Hag’s men will be heading to South London after two morale-boosting wins.
The 20-time English champions beat Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s Stadium before smashing Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third round. So, the confidence is expected to be high within the dressing room as Man United look to climb up the Premier League table.
Manchester United Team News
Manchester United have received a double injury boost ahead of the game against Crystal Palace with Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount returning to team training on Wednesday. The duo will be assessed ahead of the game, with Erik ten Hag easing both Hojlund and Mount into the team.
However, the Reds will continue to be without Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelof, Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw. Shaw, meanwhile, has been progressing well in his recovery from a muscle injury and could return to the squad soon.
Predicted Manchester United lineup vs Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Andre Onana will be back in goal after a rare night off in midweek, with Altay Bayindir starting and keeping a clean sheet in Man United’s mammoth win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup. Having kept a clean sheet at St Mary’s Stadium which included a brilliant penalty stop to deny Cameron Archer, Onana should be raring to shut his shop as quickly as possible at Palace.
Defence
Lisandro Martinez was an unused substitute against Barnsley, so he will be fresh to face the Eagles. The Argentinean is expected to partner Matthijs de Ligt in central defence, and the pair will be working hard to keep a second clean sheet in a row in the Premier League.
Noussair Mazraoui came off the bench in the 7-0 win over Barnsley but he is certain to start at right-back on Saturday, with Diogo Dalot operating from the other side. The duo will be key in building up attacks from the back for the visitors as well as while defending Palace’s quick counter-attacks.
Midfield
In midfield, Ten Hag could shake up things a bit. Manuel Ugarte impressed on his first Man United start in midweek to stake his claim. The Uruguayan may get the nod to hold the forte in the middle of the park, with Kobbie Mainoo partnering him.
Despite Christian Eriksen displaying his class against Southampton and Barnsley, he is likely to drop to the bench for this one. Bruno Fernandes is a certain starter and the onus will be on him to unlock the Palace rearguard.
Attack
Ten Hag has a selection headache in attack because all of his forwards performed very well on Wednesday. Marcus Rashford is starting to click into gear finally having bagged three goals in the last two games. He is a certainty on the left flank.
Alejandro Garnacho has been highly productive so far this season, despite not starting much games. He staked his claim with a brace in United’s big victory Barnsley, although Ten Hag would be tempted to stick with Amad Diallo on the right wing.
Joshua Zirkzee is expected to lead the Reds’ attack as he hopes to make his side tick with his hold-up, link-up play and smart movement off the back. Hojlund, Mount and Antony may get minutes off the bench.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
