Match Preview: Crystal Palace vs Manchester United

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United, Down The wings. Bruno Fernandes

With three games left in the Premier League, Manchester United’s hopes of a top three finish is no longer in their own hands, following a disappointing 2-2 draw against Southampton on Monday night.

However, with the club facing Leicester City in the final fixture of the season, they know that their top four destiny is still within their control, as they travel to Selhurst Road to face fourteen place Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

In a crucial match during the run-in to the end of the season, United can not afford any more slip ups, and must play to their full potential to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive.

How do Manchester United look?

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Southampton’s last gasp winner on Monday wasn’t the only disappointment to come out of Old Trafford. Luke Shaw was substituted after rolling his ankle during an attack, before his replacement Brandon Williams was forced off with a nasty cut about his eyes.

Mason Greenwood also received a knock on his ankle from a horrific challenge from Oriol Romeu inside the opening half of the match, a tackle in which the Spaniard was fortunate not to be sent off for.

Speaking of the injuries to his full backs in his pre-match press conference, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said “Luke has got a swollen ankle, so hopefully I’ll give him as much time as possible to recover – it was a twist on his ankle. Brandon’s eye, he cut up his eye there, so I don’t really know. We’ve not trained this morning, none of them trained yesterday, so they were both swollen and I’ll give them as much time as possible to get ready”, offering little insight as to whether the pair will be available for selection.

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On Greenwood’s knock, Solskjaer said “In the heat of the moment he’ll play on and adrenaline gets you going, and then you get a little bit of reaction after. I said after the game that my ankles were a bit weak after many years of football. But obviously Mason carried on”, suggesting that the youngster’s injury may be worse than it first appeared to be.

United have started with the same eleven in their previous five Premier League fixtures, and when asked if he would rotate the side with an eye on Sunday’s FA cup semi-final against Chelsea, Ole said “The team selection for Thursday is based on Thursday, not on Sunday. Sunday is irrelevant, it doesn’t come into my head at all. It’s just Thursday, so we’ll see”.

Opposition: Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace away will always bring feelings of unease for the elite teams in the Premier League. They often put on resilient and impressive displays against the ‘big six’ and often come away with their heads held high, so United must be wary of the threat The Eagles can pose.

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The hosts currently sit fourteen in the Premier League, on 42 points, are mathematically safe from relegation, and will be looking at pushing for an eleventh-placed finish during the remaining three fixtures.

Their biggest dangerman is ex-United winger Wilfried Zaha, whose creative force has been key in the Palace attack for a number of years.

Their top scorer this season is Jordan Ayew, who has chipped in with nine goals so far this campaign, and is a finisher that will be looking to punish any mistakes from the United backline.

Key Stats

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Crystal Palace beat Manchester United 2-1 in August this season, and should they win on Thursday, it will be the first time in history that The Eagles have done the double over United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will be desperate for that to not be the case.

Prediction:

Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester United. Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire.