(Football news) Manchester United will take on Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, hoping that a win will consolidate their top 4 position in the Premier League table. 15 points and eight places separate the two teams with the Red Devils currently occupying fourth place while the Eagles are 12th. Erik ten Hag’s side could win their first silverware in six years if they manage to defeat Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final but have a run of fixtures before February 26th. They defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Wednesday night thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Fred but will now turn their attention to the Premier League.
Manchester United are the only English team that are still in all four competitions (Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League) and Ten Hag will be wary of the number of fixtures his team will have to compete in. Squad depth is an area of concern for Manchester United and the Dutchman will have to heavily rotate his squad from now until the end of the season to prevent injuries and fatigue. The Red Devils will also have one eye on their Europa League first-leg tie away at Barcelona which is less than two weeks away.
The Red Devils have an excellent home record, winning each of their last 12 games at Old Trafford in all competitions including five in the Premier League. Such has been the improvement under Erik ten Hag that Manchester United haven’t had a longer winning run at home since May and December 2017 (eight matches). However, the Red Devils will be looking to avoid their third successive Premier League game without a win as they lost 3-2 to league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium before drawing 1-1 to Crystal Palace on January 18th. Manchester United have struggled against Crystal Palace in the last few years, winning just one of their last five league meetings and will definitely not underestimate their opponents this time around.
In team news, Manchester United will be without Christian Eriksen until at least late April due to an ankle injury while Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay are sidelined due to knee and muscle injuries. Diogo Dalot remains doubtful due to a hamstring injury which means Aaron Wan Bissaka will feature against his former club at right back, joining Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw. Marcus Rashford and David de Gea are expected to feature in the starting lineup while Marcel Sabitzer could make his debut after completing his loan move from Bayern Munich on deadline day. Jadon Sancho could also feature in some capacity after making his first appearance since October against Nottingham Forest.
As for Crystal Palace, Wilfred Zaha will be unavailable for selection due to a hamstring injury alongside James McArthur (groin) and Nathan Ferguson (foot). Joachim Anderson could return to the squad after recovering from a calf problem but could feature on the bench which means Chris Richards and Marc Guehi will feature at centre-back. The likes of Olise, Jeffrey Schlupp and Eberechi Eze could feature in the front three while new signings Naouirou Ahamada and Albert Sambi Lokonga could make their debut in centre-midfield.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Clyne, Richards, Guehi, Mitchell; Eze, Doucoure, Schlupp; Olise, Edouard, Ayew
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