Manchester United journey to South London on Saturday evening to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, looking to make it back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.
The Eagles rescued a late draw against Leicester City last time out, while Man United comfortably swatted aside newly-promoted Southampton at Saint Mary’s Stadium.
Both sides head into this weekend’s contest needing maximum points to push their respective ambitions, but Man United will undoubtedly be favourites to come away with a win.
However, Palace are no strangers to upsetting the big guns, and they will fancy their chances of ending their winless run at home to Erik ten Hag’s inconsistent Red Devils.
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Match Preview
Palace are still looking for their first win of the season and needed a last-minute penalty from Jean-Philippe Mateta to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Leicester City last time out.
With Wilfred Ndidi pulling the strings for the Foxes in the middle of the park, the Nigerian set up Jamie Vardy to give Leicester the lead in the 21st minute.
Barely a minute into the second half, Ndidi was at it again. This time, he combined with Stephy Mavididi, who doubled Leicester’s advantage, further piling the pressure on Palace.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner would have been delighted with the way his side responded to going 2-0 down as Mateta pulled one back for the Eagles merely seconds after Mavididi’s strike.
A resolute Leicester defence held out for most of the second half, but with Palace heading toward a potential third defeat of the season, Mateta converted from the spot to snatch a point for Glasner’s side.
Given their emphatic form during last season’s run-in, many expected Palace to kick on and push for another top-ten finish this season, but they’ve had an awful start to the season.
The South Londoners have picked up just two points from their opening two games, although their 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers in the EFL Cup third round would have boosted their confidence.
Palace are coming up against one of the Premier League’s big six, and having already drawn Chelsea earlier this season, they’ll fancy their chances of getting a positive result against Man United.
The Eagles have come out on top in their last two meetings with the Red Devils, most recently thumping Ten Hag’s lacklustre troops 4-0 at Selhurst Park.
Man United will head to the capital keen to set the record straight after their embarrassing defeat against Palace last time out.
The Red Devils have made a mixed start to the season, collecting six points from four games, but they appear to be building a head of steam after netting ten goals in their last two games.
Ten Hag’s side made light work of Southampton last weekend, running out 3-0 winners, courtesy of goals from Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho.
However, the game could have taken a different turn if Cameron Archer had converted his spot kick just two minutes before De Ligt broke the deadlock, but he couldn’t get the better of Andre Onana.
Man United followed up the win against the Saints with a 7-0 rout against League One side Barnsley in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
Rashford, Garnacho, and Christian Eriksen stole the spotlight with a brace apiece, while Antony converted a 35th-minute penalty that will massively boost his confidence.
While their opponents are hardly a yardstick to judge their progress, Man United will feel fairly confident about their chances of claiming a win this weekend.
The Red Devils are already three points adrift of the Champions League places, and it might still be early days, but they cannot afford to drop points against Palace if they’re serious about achieving their objectives.
Key Stats
Glasner’s Palace side secured their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Tuesday night.
Goals from summer signing Eddie Nketiah and former QPR star Eberechi Eze sealed the win, continuing Palace’s strong form in the competition.
The win builds on Palace’s dominant 4-0 victory over Norwich City in the second round of the EFL Cup, and the Eagles will be eager to maintain their momentum as they shift focus back to the Premier League.
Palace fans will be buoyed by their team’s record against the Red Devils last season, where the Eagles completed an impressive double, winning both fixtures by a combined score of 5-0.
However, United will arrive at Selhurst Park in a confident mood as Ten Hag’s side have hit a rich vein of form.
After a somewhat shaky start to the season, United appear to have turned a corner.
Ten Hag’s side looked ruthless in their last two fixtures, scoring ten goals without reply across the league and cup competitions.
Rashford and Garnacho have been central to United’s resurgence, each netting twice against Barnsley and contributing further in the league win at Southampton.
Despite the recent upturn in form, United fans may temper their excitement, as their victories came against a League One side and a recently promoted Premier League team.
The bigger tests lie ahead, starting with Saturday’s clash against Palace.
United will need to overcome their dismal away record in London.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the Red Devils have struggled in the capital, winning just two of their last 16 Premier League games there.
United have lost ten times in London since Ferguson’s departure – matching the number of defeats they suffered in 118 games under the legendary manager.
With United currently sitting 10th in the Premier League table, they’ll be keen to turn their fortunes around away from home.
Team News & Potential Line-ups:
Palace are sweating over the fitness of summer signing Trevoh Chalobah after the Chelsea loanee picked up an injury in training, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be fit enough to face Man United.
Chadi Riad, Rob Holding and Matheus Franca are not expected to be involved.
Meanwhile, Man United have been boosted by the return of Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund to first-team training, while Luke Shaw continues to work his way back to full fitness.
Crystal Palace potential starting line-up:
(3-4-2-1): Dean Henderson; Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi, Nathaniel Clyne; Tyrick Mitchell, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Daniel Munoz; Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah; Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Manchester United potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot; Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Joshua Zirkzee.
