Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Prediction

In the first of our midweek Premier League predictions, Man Utd return to action with their match against Crystal Palace, who have now lost four of their five games. Can United record their sixth straight Premier League win? Find out with Beat the Bookmaker’s Crystal Palace vs Man Utd prediction.

Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Prediction Match Overview

In the first of our midweek Premier League predictions, Man Utd return to action with their match against Crystal Palace, who have now lost four of their five games. United’s win against Manchester City on the weekend was amidst controversial circumstances in the sense that it brought the current interpretation of offside, specifically interference from an offside teammate into question. Though technically correct under the current rules, the debate rages about how such a seemingly obvious incident of interference is allowed under the existing provisions. Not that United will mind, as they went on to score four minutes later for their first Manchester derby victory in four attempts. That result sees them level on points with Newcastle with a game in hand and one point separating themselves and second-placed Manchester City, with Arsenal eight points clear at the summit. While talk of a title challenge may be somewhat premature, United are pushing their credentials for a Champions League qualification spot.

As we touched on earlier, Crystal Palace have lost four of their last five matches and will be nervously looking over their shoulders at the prospect of being drawn into a relegation battle. Although they put in a battling performance against Chelsea and were the dominant team at the end of the match while looking for the equaliser, they have lost their last two home games by a combined seven-goal margin and failed to score in the process. A 2-0 win over Bournemouth was preceded by a 1-0 defeat to Nottm Forest and a 3-0 home defeat to Fulham, and succeeded by a 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham. Head to head, over the last five games these two teams have split the honours exactly, with two wins apiece and a draw. We can say that over the last six matches, Palace have the edge, but if we extend that to seven that United restore parity. In any case, despite their recent poor run of form, United failed to win here on the last two occasions and failed to score – a stat they’ll be keen to rectify to remain in touch with Newcastle and Manchester City.

Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Team News

Injuries and Suspensions

Crystal Palace:

Might Not Play:

Will Not Play: Ferguson, McArthur

Man Utd:

Might Not Play: Dalot

Will Not Play: Tuanzebe, Sancho, van de Beek

Possible Lineups

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Guaita; Mitchell, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne; Schlupp, Doucoure; Eze, Olise, Ayew; Zaha

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Shaw, Martinez, Varane, Wan-Bissaka; Casemiro, Eriksen; Rashford, Fernandes, Antony; Martial

Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Prediction Analysis

United Will Approach this Game Differently

In the Manchester derby, we saw United sacrifice an attacker (Antony) for a more defensive-minded player in Fred to aid their defensive efforts against a City side that prioritise control above all else. Although we can say that City only had one shot on target, once they had taken the lead they were in control and it required another tactical shift, this time reinstating their two-inside forwards and midfield double pivot to transition more effectively. Both of United’s second-half shots on target came late on, so what worked for them in the first half wasn’t necessarily working in the second until they reverted to their usual shape. We can expect United to return to something more akin to their usual approach in this match, with United playing a higher line and pressing more aggressively from the front.

Palace’s Ability to Counter

Crystal Palace possess a lot of pace throughout the team and are adept at transitioning quickly and in numbers should the opportunity arise. Zaha, Eze and Olise in particular are all fleet of foot and able ball carriers, and United will have to be careful not to get caught out playing a high defensive line. Palace will feel that they will have an opportunity to have a measure of success here precisely because they can get their frontmen involved directly. If Palace were forced to play through the middle and didn’t have those direct threats, then we feel that Casemiro in particular would have an easy time of it out there, but with Palace’s ability to play directly and run at opposition defences, we can see them having some success in at least forcing United to play a little deeper than perhaps they’d like to in this encounter.

United’s Midfield Playmakers

What could make the difference here is United’s ability, via Eriksen, Fernandes and Casemiro, to play searching through-balls with accuracy that make it difficult for the opposition to just sit in and counter. Although they didn’t risk this approach against Manchester City until they found themselves 1-0 down, United’s double pivot with Fernandes occupying the space in between the lines ahead of them generates plenty of opportunities for the likes of Rashford, Antony and Martial to latch onto, and Palace will have their work cut out as they will have to simultaneously press the ball carrier and close off passing lanes. A notable weakness for Man Utd in recent times was what we call their lack of press-resistant players – they were too easy to shut down and turn over in possession, but now there is a measure of control and also creativity in their midfield three which forces the opposition to think about where and when to press the ball.

Beat the Bookmaker Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Prediction

This is a well-balanced encounter that will likely not reflect the form guide. While United are in an impressive vein of form, Palace have demonstrated this season that they’re fully capable of taking the game to any side through direct transitions and an attacking quartet that has no qualms about running directly at opposition defences to unsettle them and creating opportunities. Although United won’t be as cautious with their defensive shape as they were against Manchester City, nonetheless they will be wary of the Palace threat on the break and it’s hardly unimaginable to see Palace scoring at some point. However, we feel like United’s playmakers will have plenty of opportunities to get on the ball and create chances. The major weakness of this Palace side is their inability to take care of the ball at times – they are the most dispossessed side in the Premier League by some margin – and United will be able to penetrate their low block. A keenly contested away win.

Crystal Palace 1-2 Man Utd

Beat the Bookmaker Crystal Palace vs Man Utd Prediction – Man Utd Odds: