(Update: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provides fitness situation information during Tuesday news conference)
With so many key players in midfield and the final third out with injury, it will be very interesting to see what kind of starting lineup Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cobbles together Wednesday night when his side travels to Crystal Palace for a mid-week Premier League fixture.
The injury crisis presents itself with some opportunities for overpaid and underperforming veterans like Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. Also, Andreas Pereira could get a rare chance to showcase his potential and ability. In the midfield, expect to see some of the younger players get a chance.
“We’ve got some good kids coming through, so we’ll have 11 players on the pitch on Wednesday night,” said Solskjaer after the goalless draw versus Liverpool yesterday.
“And luckily we’ve got two days’ recovery.”
That two days recovery isn’t a whole lot, especially with a weekend fixture coming up and then the return leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain. Without further ado, let’s take a look at who might feature in this one.
The Bank MUFC Starting XI Prediction at Crystal Palace FC (4-3-3)
Attack: Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Andreas Pereira
Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay
Defenders: Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
Manchester United at Crystal Palace FC FYIs
Kick-off: Wednesday February 27, Selhurst Park, 8pm (BST), 2pm (CST)
United Injury Report: go to this link
Odds via Ladbrokes: United 5/4, Draw 12/5, Crystal Palace 21/10
Google Result Probability: Manchester United win 42%, Draw 28%, Crystal Palace win 30%
Prediction: United 1, Palace 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.