Crystal Palace and Manchester United will aim to continue their unbeaten runs when they clash at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Gameweek 5 of the 2024/25 Premier League season kicks off this weekend with the fixture between West Ham United and Chelsea at the London Stadium. Saturday will be an action-packed day, with Crystal Palace vs Manchester United rounding up the proceedings with another game in London at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace would have hoped for a better start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, failing to win a game in four outings. The Eagles suffered defeats in successive London derbies to begin their campaign but have since remained unbeaten. However, Oliver Glasner’s men have drawn their last two Premier League matches while winning both fixtures thus far in the EFL Cup, with this midweek witnessing a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.
On the other hand, Manchester United have blown hot and cold in the early days of the 2024/25 season. The Red Devils have lost as many games as they have won thus far, although they have stitched a two-match winning run since the international break. Erik ten Hag will hope the instability after the defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool does not return anytime soon.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Crystal Palace cruising to a 4-0 win over Manchester United, with Michael Olise (brace), Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Tyrick Mitchell finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Manchester United on Saturday.
Trevoh Chalobah is closing in on returning to action, and he will face a late fitness test to determine his availability. However, Chadi Riad (knee) and Matheus Franca (rib) remain on the sidelines, while Rob Holding is unavailable due to a run-in with Glasner.
Dean Henderson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him vs Manchester United. The central defensive unit should feature Nathaniel Clyne, Marc Guehi, and Maxence Lacroix. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the two wing-backs, with the duo providing width in the final third.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Adam Wharton and Cheick Doucoure. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and neutralise Bruno Fernandes. Eberechi Eze will provide the creative impetus in the final third, with Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta being the two strikers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Clyne, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Doucoure, Mitchell; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Erik ten Hag has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Manchester United manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund have resumed training this week after recovering from their hamstring injuries. While Saturday’s game may come too soon for the duo, they are closing in on returning to action. However, Luke Shaw (calf), Victor Lindelof (toes), Leny Yoro (foot), and Tyrell Malacia (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Andre Onana will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace. The backline should feature Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, and Diogo Dalot.
As for the midfield department, Manuel Ugarte should make his first Premier League start for Manchester United, pairing up with Kobbie Mainoo in the double pivot. Bruno Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joshua Zirkzee will lead the line for Manchester United against Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugarte, Mainoo; Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace did the double over Manchester United in the Premier League last season, the first time they ever beat them in consecutive league matches. Manchester United have lost two of their three most recent away league games vs Crystal Palace (D1), having been unbeaten in their previous 13 visits to face the Eagles at Selhurst Park (W9 D4).
- Manchester United have won just two of their last 16 Premier League away games against London sides (D4 L10), with both victories coming against Fulham (2-1 November 2022, 1-0 November 2023). The Red Devils have lost as many Premier League games in the capital since Alex Ferguson’s retirement (24 in 64 visits) as they had in 118 matches with the Scot in charge.
- Manchester United have kept three clean sheets in their last five Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 24 matches. However, they have lost both matches in which they have conceded in this run.
- Manchester United have the third-highest expected goal total in the Premier League this season (7.9) but have scored just five goals. Only Southampton have underperformed their xG (4.6 xG, 1 goal) more than the Red Devils thus far this term.
- Since Oliver Glasner’s first game in charge in February, only Erling Haaland (19) has scored more Premier League goals than Jean-Philippe Mateta (15 in 17 games). In that time he has netted multiple times in four outings (3 braces, 1 hat-trick). Only Wilfried Zaha has ever scored more than once in more Premier League games for the Eagles (6 braces).
Player to Watch
Marcus Rashford
The discourse surrounding Marcus Rashford before the international break was about his goal drought and how he had failed to find the back of the net in the first month of the 2024/25 season. The knives were out, and most believed his struggles would continue for a second successive campaign.
However, Rashford has done his bit to turn his fortunes around in his last two outings, producing impressive performances in each game. The onus is on the Englishman to continue his upward trajectory and rediscover his best form in the coming matches, including Crystal Palace vs Manchester United.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United
Crystal Palace might feel they have the upper hand on Manchester United after doing the double over the Red Devils in the 2023/24 season. On the other hand, Manchester United will hope to continue their winning run after successive victories in the past week.
However, there is very little to separate the two teams in their current form, with both showing defensive vulnerabilities. The match should have end-to-end action for the most part, but Manchester United should have the quality to clinch the three points, with Marcus Rashford delivering the goods again. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Erik ten Hag and his charges.
