(Football news) Manchester United took care of business on the Europa League stage in Romania on Thursday night, while the Eagles have been afforded a full week to dwell on their top-flight defeat to Brentford last time out.
After an eighth-placed finish under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag last season, it appears as if Manchester United are on course for their worst-ever Premier League campaign with Ruben Amorim at the helm, although the Portuguese coach has guided Sunday’s hosts to an upturn in their fortunes over recent times.
A Thursday night jaunt to Romania was on the agenda for the Red Devils earlier in the week, when second-half efforts from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo sealed maximum points against FCSB, meaning that the Old Trafford club finished third in the league phase of the Europa League, qualifying automatically for the last 16.
Winning five and drawing three of their eight matches on the continental stage so far this term, Manchester United are the only side across the Champions League and Europa League who went unbeaten throughout the league phase, highlighting Amorim’s success on the European scene so far.
There was also a pick-me-up result for the Red Devils last time out in the Premier League, with a heavily deflected Lisandro Martinez effort bagging maximum points at the home of Fulham, meaning that United have lost just one of their last four league fixtures following a concerning three-match losing sequence at the conclusion of December.
Despite tasting defeat in just one of their last seven matches across all competitions, Manchester United are still languishing down in a lowly 12th position in the Premier League table, staring at a 12-point gap to Newcastle United in fifth, with this weekend’s hosts likely to require a Europa League title in order to qualify for the Champions League next term.
As is the case with their opponents on Sunday afternoon, Crystal Palace were targeting a European spot this term following a promising end to 2023-24 under the tutelage of Oliver Glasner, but a poor opening to the campaign means that they find themselves marooned in mid-table.
That being said, the Eagles have begun to soar once again in recent times, enjoying a six-game unbeaten run across the Premier League and FA Cup prior to last weekend, when goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade snatched three points for London rivals Brentford at Selhurst Park.
Finding the net late on for Crystal Palace during the defeat to the Bees, Romain Esse registered a goal just two minutes into his debut for the club, with the 19-year-old attacker joining from Championship outfit Millwall for an initial £12m in the middle of January.
Tasked with being a more regular contributor of goals for the Eagles, Jean-Philippe Mateta has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January after kick-starting his 2025 with four goals in as many top-flight contests, with the Frenchman up to eight strikes for the league campaign.
A first-half effort from Joachim Andersen clinched Palace a historic win at the Theatre of Dreams last season, and Glasner’s men should be relatively confident of collecting another result at Old Trafford this weekend, especially considering that the Eagles possess the best defense on the road in the Premier League, conceding only 11 goals to date.
Also read: Manchester City will play Arsenal in the English Premier League
