PREVIEW: Manchester United v Crystal Palace

Old Trafford, Manchester

Saturday 14th September 2013 – KO 1:45pm Live on Super Sports 3

Referee: Jonathan Moss, Assistants: A Halliday, D England, Fourth Official: C Foy

Manchester United play their second home match of the season today with a lunch time kick off against Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace, a team which beat United last time they played at Old Trafford in the League Cup with Wilfried Zaha impressing Sir Alex Ferguson with a performance that no doubt gave him the decision to buy the England winger.

In the Barclays Premier League, Palace has not beaten United at Old Trafford, not even walked away with a point. Four matches have been played with United winning 5-2 in 2005, 2-0 in 1997, 3-0 in 1994 and 1-0 in 1992. Palace though are a side that you should not under-estimate, which we learnt back in 2011. Their last league match against Sunderland showed exactly what they were capable of.

United have a few injuries to deal with which will cast a doubt on Phil Jones and Rafael da Silva playing in the match, with Wayne Rooney out due to a cut on his head sustained in training before the international break and Darren Fletcher battling to resume his career after seemingly overcoming his bowel condition. Ian Holloway has a longer injury list which will add a few doubts to his team selection.

David Moyes will be looking for a win against Palace to get his season back on track as they head into a rather busy period with two matches per week until the next international break at the start of October. United will be battling on three fronts this month with the Barclays Premier League, the return of the UEFA Champions League and the Capital One Cup coming at the end of September.

Players to watch:

Marouane Fellaini: The Belgian midfielder transferred to United on deadline day and I think he will be handed his debut against Palace today. United head into a busy period with the UEFA Champions League and Capital One Cup starting this month, and I would rather hand Fellaini his debut against Palace rather than against Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. I think the Palace match will allow Fellaini to settle into the team, or at least start to, so he can understand the way the squad play ahead of the important UEFA Champions League match. The steel Fellaini will add to the midfield is something we have been waiting to see for a few years now. Many believe he is not the player we need, but I personally think he is.

Marouane Chamakh: The former Arsenal striker has made three appearances for Palace since signing for them this summer, scoring one goal already, which is half the number of goals he scored last season with both Arsenal and West Ham United. Being at Palace could bring out the best of Chamakh, I remember saying that when he was loaned to West Ham last January, but I think he will try and prove himself with Holloway bringing out the best of him. Could be one for United’s defence to watch, along with Kevin Phillips, should he play. 

Manchester United Statistics:

Based on Barclays Premier League 2013/14 [statistics taken from the Official Barclays Premier League website]

Played 3 matches, won 1, drawn 1, lost 1 and currently have 4 points
Scored 4 goals (1.33 goals per match) & conceded 2 goals (0.67 goals per match) – 0 were pens
Longest unbeaten streak is 2 matches
Clean sheet record 33%

Crystal Palace Statistics:

Based on Barclays Premier League 2012/13 [statistics taken from the Official Barclays Premier League website]

Played 3 matches, won 1, drawn 0, lost 2 and currently have 3 points
Scored 4 goals (1.33 goal per match) & conceded 4 goals (1.33 goals per match) – 1 were pens
Longest unbeaten streak is 1 matches
Clean sheet record 0%

Top Scorers (all competitions):

Manchester United: 2 – Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck

Crystal Palace: 1 – Marouane Chamakh, Danny Gabbidon, Owen Garvan, Dwight Gayle, Stuart O’Keefe

Manchester United Form:

Last six matches: Liverpool 1-0 L, Chelsea 0-0 D, Swansea City 4-1 W, Wigan Athletic 2-0 W, Sevilla 1-3 L, AIK Fotboll 1-1 D

Crystal Palace Form:

Last six matches: Sunderland 3-1 W, Bristol City 2-1 L, Stoke City 2-1 L, Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 L, Lazio 1-0 L, Dulwich Hamlet 4-1 W

Head to Head in the Barclays Premier League:

Played 4 matches in the Barclays Premier League at Old Trafford:

Manchester United: Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 0 – Scored 11 goals, conceded 2 goals and kept 3 clean sheets

Crystal Palace: Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 4 – Scored 2 goals, conceded 11 goals and kept 0 clean sheets

Manchester United Squad:

Manager: David Moyes

Goalkeepers: 1. David De Gea, 13, Anders Lindegaard, 40. Ben Amos;

Defenders: 2. Rafael da Silva, 3. Patrice Evra, 4. Phil Jones, 5. Rio Ferdinand, 6. Jonny Evans, 12. Chris Smalling, 15. Nemanja Vidic, 22. Fabio da Silva, 28. Alexander Büttner, 30. Guillermo Varela, 36. Marnick Vermijl, 38. Michael Keane, 42. Tyler Blackett;

Midfielders: 8. Anderson, 11. Ryan Giggs, 16. Michael Carrick, 17. Nani, 18. Ashley Young, 23. Tom Cleverley, 24. Darren Fletcher, 25. Antonio Valencia, 26. Shinji Kagawa, 29. Wilfried Zaha, 32. Nick Powell, 33. Bebe, 34. Larnell Cole, 35. Jesse Lingard, 39. Tom Thorpe, 44. Adnan Januzaj, 45. Davide Petrucci;

Strikers: 10. Wayne Rooney, 14. Javier Hernandez, 19. Danny Welbeck, 20. Robin van Persie, 27. Federico Macheda, 48. Will Keane

Doubts/Injuries: 2. Rafael da Silva (hamstring), 24. Darren Fletcher (ulcerative colitis) [injury details taken from PhysioRoom.com]

Suspensions: None [suspensions confirmed by the FA.com]

Predicted Formation/Starting XI:

Score Prediction:

Manchester United 3 – 1 Crystal Palace