Manchester United have their final chance at silverware this season as they prepare to take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup finals. This will be a make or break time for manager Louis van Gaal as he bears the brunt of the criticism for a poor season.
Manchester United beat Everton in a thrilling semi-final while Crystal Palace knocked out Watford to set up a final match between Alan Pardew’s ambitious Eagles and Louis van Gaal’s under-performing Red Devils. Man United have finished in fifth spot in the Premier League and the FA Cup remains their best chance of winning their first piece of silverware in three seasons.
It hasn’t been a great season for Crystal Palace either. The Eagles got off to a flying start only to stutter towards a 15th place finish. The FA Cup remains their only shot at glory this season too. With the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Yohan Cabaye and former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha at their disposal, Palace have every chance of pulling off an upset victory and denying Louis van Gaal a happy end to a turbulent season.
Lineups:
Manchester United
The final starting XI for the FA Cup final should be very similar to the one that lined up against AFC Bournemouth in mid-week. The return of Marouane Fellaini from a three-match suspension will be an added boost for Manchester United, with the Belgian probably starting alongside Morgan Schneiderlin in central midfield with Rooney, Rashford, Martial and Lingard forming the attacking quartet.
With Luke Shaw still out, Marcos Rojo will play at left-back, beside centre-backs Smalling and Blind. Antonio Valencia has impressed at right-back and will be key to proceedings here once again, while David de Gea starts in goal.
Crystal Palace
Apart from the tragic broken leg suffered by Joe Ledley two weeks ago, Alan Pardew doesn’t have any inhury woes as such, with a relatively strong squad to choose from. Palace will depend on the likes of Scott Dann and Joel Ward to anchor their defense in front of the error prone Wayne Hennessey.
The Eagles biggest strength lies in the attack, as Yohann Cabaye plays the role of playmaker behind the trio of Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncehon. The former two will be set to give Manchester United some trouble with their pace on the wings.
Player to watch out for:
Wayne Rooney
The Manchester United captain put in a master-class in mid-week, having a part to play in all three of United’s goals. After finishing off a move he started to open the scoring, the Englishman then produced two magical passes to set up another two goals as the Red Devils won 3-1.
It seems like the positioning problem with Wayne Rooney has finally been solved. The 30-year-old is putting in some impressive performances in midfield and this could be the role in which we see the former striker finish his storied career.
Stats:
- Manchester United have lost just one of their last 20 meeting against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- The last two FA Cup ties between the two were the final in 1990 and the semi-final in 1995, both of which United won.
- Crystal Palace could win the first major trophy in their history and qualify for Europe for the first time ever.
- The Red Devils are aiming to equal Arsenal’s record of 12 FA cup wins.
- This is United’s first FA Cup final since 2007 and their 19th overall, equaling another record held by Arsenal.
Prediction:
Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s form this year has been horrendous. They have managed only two clean sheets in their last 19 games and would find it difficult to contain a Manchester United side stoked up by goals and a victory against Bournemouth in mid-week.
The Red Devils will be desperate for silverware on their part and youngsters like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial will all be geared up for their first ever FA Cup final, meaning the Eagles will have quite a task at hand to control them, with the veteran Rooney pulling the strings in midfield.
Blast from the Past:
