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A troubled Crystal Palace are set to welcome 13-time Premier League champions Manchester United at Selhurst Park on Thursday night.
The hosts have been in shambolic form in the top-flight having lost five consecutive games heading into the fixture. Roy Hodgson's men fell to a 2-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Aston Villa in their most recent outing after a brace from Trezeguet. To make matters worse, Christian Benteke saw a red in the dying embers of the game and will miss the next game.
They won four fixtures on the spin prior to these five losses and were heading to what potentially could have been their best league finish in over a decade. However, they now sit 14th on the table, with 42 points to show for from 35 games.
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The Red Devils have been in sumptuous form since the restart but suffered a blow in their pursuit of UEFA Champions League football on Monday night. A 96th-minute winner from Southampton substitute Michael Obafemi pegged them to a 2-2 draw and dropped two crucial points. They would hope to register a victory at Selhurst Park and continue putting Leicester City and Chelsea under pressure.
That point took United's season tally to 59 from 35 games. They're just a point behind the Blues and level with the Foxes, who United are set to play against on the final day of the campaign.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Head-to-head
The Eagles have registered just one victory against their upcoming opponents in the Premier League era. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, that fixture was part of the 2019/20 campaign, which they lost at home by a scoreline of 2-1. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men would hope to set the record straight with a win away at Palace.
Prior to that fixture, United won 16 out of the 20 meetings between these sides since 1992, and drew the remaining four.
The Red Devils are undoubtedly the team with all the momentum ahead of this game given their ruthlessness in front of goal since the restart. After a 1-1 draw away at Tottenham Hotspur to mark their return to football, United went on to win by a scoreline of 3-0 on three occasions. They also have a 5-2 victory against Bournemouth at home.
On the other hand, Palace have failed to score in four out of their last five fixtures. They only managed two goals which came against Chelsea in a well-contested game at home, albeit ended up losing the game by the finest of margins.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Team News
The visitors have been blessed with almost a fully fit squad heading into this fixture, although fatigue could play an essential role in team selection. Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe are the only players ruled out of the game for them via injury.
Luke Shaw was taken off after he appeared to twist his ankle towards the end of their home game against the Saints. His replacement, Brandon Williams, had to be taken off as well after suffering a gruesome clash of heads with Kyle Walker-Peters. Both Williams and Shaw are don't heading into the game. A weary-looking Paul Pogba could be rested for the trip after four consecutive starts upon his return from injury.
James Tomkins, Jeffery Schlupp, and Gary Cahill are sidelined for the home side ahead of the game. Cahill suffered a hamstring injury against his former team, Chelsea, in the opening phase of their loss to the Blues.
Benteke is also ruled out of the game via suspension. Martin Kelly is also a doubt for the Eagles due to injury and could be sidelined for the game.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Predicted XIs
Crystal Palace Predicted XI (4-3-3): Vicente Guaita; Joel Ward, Scott Dann, Mamadou Sakho, Patrick van Aanholt; James McCarthy, Cheikhou Kouyate, Luka Milivojević; Andros Townsend, Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha
Manchester United Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Brandon Williams; Fred, Nemanja Matic; Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Anthony Martial
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Prediction
Despite their draw against the Saints temporarily halting their momentum, Manchester United could be expected to register a victory against Palace. The motivation to play UCL football next year combined with this new-look United side could potentially help them dispatch the Eagles. Palace are on a miserable run of form having lost five league games (scored two, conceded 13). The Red Devils could compound the hosts' misery and return to winning ways at Selhurst Park.
Predicted scoreline: Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester United
