MY ACCOUNT
– Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace side have lost five of their last six matches
– Manchester United arrive at Selhurst Park on the back of a nine-match winning run
– Recommended bet: Manchester United to win to nil
Manchester United will feel they are right back in the title race after last weekend’s 2-1 win in the Manchester derby and two more victories in their next two outings would confirm that belief.
The true test will be Sunday’s match away at leaders Arsenal but first Erik Ten Hag’s men must navigate a tricky test at Selhurst Park.
Awaiting them in the Crystal Palace dugout is Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. And, while the Frenchman is now fully focused on his south London duties, it would be a welcome bonus if his next three points as Palace manager helped scupper his former rivals while easing his beloved Gunners closer to the Premier League title.
However, stopping the Red Devils will be no easy task. United are not yet the force they were in Vieira’s playing days but a run of nine-successive wins is starting to hint that Ten Hag could prove the long-awaited worthy successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.
If the Dutchman can conquer both south and north London in the next five days, supporters will truly believe that the 52-year-old is the real deal.
Team news
Crystal Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen limped off with a calf problem in the first half of Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea so is unlikely to feature.
Long-term injury absentees James McArthur and defender Nathan Ferguson remain out.
Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek was last week ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury and winger Jadon Sancho and Axel Tuanzebe both remain unavailable.
Striker Marcus Rashford suffered a first-half knock against Manchester City last weekend but recovered to play the rest of the match so is only a minor concern.
Full-back Diogo Dalot is nursing a hamstring strain and is likely to miss out.
The stats
Manchester United have won their last nine matches in all competitions but the run is arguably not as impressive as it looks at first glance.
Seven of those victories came at Old Trafford, four were cup victories over either struggling teams or opponents from lower divisions, and three of their five league successes came against relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth.
However, the win at sixth-placed Fulham and an impressive Manchester derby success suggests there is more at play than simply a kind run of fixtures – and it is telling that United’s excellent run started immediately after Cristiano Ronaldo’s final appearance for the club.
While Crystal Palace have a solid recent record against United, beating them once in each of the last three seasons, the Eagles come into this match in desperate form.
Vieira’s men have lost five of their last six matches, including three successive defeats at Selhurst Park – 3-0 to Fulham, 4-0 to Tottenham and a 2-1 FA Cup defeat to a Southampton side who are bottom of the Premier League.
Prediction
Manchester United’s victory over champions City last weekend announced them as serious title challengers and while Ten Hag’s men benefitted from a contentious goal in that match, they were worthy of all three points.
With the team now more balanced and Rashford in red-hot form, United look a well-organised, balanced team offering a constant attacking threat.
Ten Hag’s men have score two or more goals in eight of their last nine outings and, given Palace have conceded at least twice in each of their last three home games, it would make sense to add ‘over one United goal’ to Bet Builders combinations.
And the Red Devils should be able to claim all three points without conceding given how solid they look with Casemiro patrolling the midfield – the Brazilian’s reassuring presence in front of an improving defence has seen United keep 11 clean sheets in their last 17 games.
Palace have failed to score in five of their last seven outings, so back Manchester United to win to nil – available at 7/4 with LiveScore Bet.
