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Manchester United out for revenge against Crystal Palace as they look to hold onto 2nd
Manchester United to win 3-1
Tournament: Premier League 2020-2021 | Venue: Selhurst,London, Selhurst Park
Bet NowDespite not being in their very best form currently, Manchester United have managed to hold onto 2nd position over the past couple of weeks, despite Leicester, West Ham and Chelsea all closing in on them, and Manchester City pulling away ahead of them.
The current run of fixtures looks daunting for a Manchester United fan: they picked up a draw against Chelsea, travel away to Palace, before playing Man City, AC Milan and then West Ham.
It’s a period that will make or break their season domestically and in Europe.
Crystal Palace will look to their win against Manchester United right at the start of the season as inspiration, when they were at their counterattacking best to win 3-1 on the day.
Unfortunately, that was probably the peak of their season and it’s all been a little bit average from then on. They’ll still be without talisman Wilf Zaha for this one.
Form Guide (all comps): WLLWD
Reasons to be cheerful:
Picked up four points from their last two matches
Their tally of 33 points is their highest at this stage since 1991-92
Reasons to be fearful:
Haven’t beaten United at home in 12 attempts
No wins at home against a top six side since 2017
For all the talk that Crystal Palace couldn’t win a game of football without Wilf Zaha (they previously went 18 of the last 20 without victory), they’ve claimed four points from their last two games without him.
Although not exactly setting the world alight, Palace are almost assured of securing their place in the league for another season, with a 10-point gap to relegation opened up.
They do have a fearsome fixture schedule ahead of them, however, with United followed by Spurs, Everton, Chelsea and Leicester before the end of April.
The Eagles can also take confidence from the fact that this is their best season in the Premier League after 26 games since 1992, and won’t be afraid to have a go against a United side who they beat in exciting fashion earlier in the season.
Star Man – Andros Townsend
The tricky winger was a thorn in United’s side earlier in the season, as the Palace man opened the scoring.
Form Guide (all comps): DWWDD
Reasons to be cheerful:
Just one defeat in 20 league games
Have won all six midweek away fixtures this season
Reasons to be fearful:
Were poor as they lost 3-1 to Palace earlier in the season
Just one win in past seven in the league
Understandably, United will be disappointed at watching Manchester City sail off into the sunset with a 12-point gap as it currently stands, with the Reds leading the table not so long ago.
It’s a run of form which has seen United drop 11 points from their last seven matches, with the likes of Leicester and others catching them up in 2nd place.
They’ve been successful in holding them off, for now, as well as furthering their cause in cup competitions like the Europa League and FA Cup.
But they will mean nothing if they allow a top four position to slip, and wins in games such as these are crucial.
Here, they should be able to recall Edinson Cavani after injury.
Star Man – Bruno Fernandes
Was disappointing in the weekend fixture against Chelsea, but United’s top scorer can be the difference maker here.
United are favourites, especially away from home
Palace can cope without Zaha, but can they score?
Should be an open game of football
Although Manchester United appeared to settle for a point against Chelsea, this will be a different kind of fixture for them, and one they feel they can take three points from.
Palace are not in the best of form, with just one win from four, and without Zaha have lost much of their counterattacking threat.
United are certainly favourites here.
Manchester United to win 3-1
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