Manchester United played yet another boring clunker in a big game, a goalless stalemate with Chelsea yesterday that was not fun for anyone involved. At least we can move on from the boring 0-0 drabfest quickly, as the next match, a road trip to Crystal Palace, comes fast and furious.
United are next to impossible to beat on the road this season, so we expect the Premier League’s second place side to take at least a point, if not all three, from this one.
Manchester United at Crystal Palace FYIs
Kickoff: 8:15 GMT March 3, Selhurst Park
Team News for both sides: go to this link
PL Form Guide: United DWDDW Palace DWLLW
PL Position: United- 2nd, 50 pts Palace- 13th, 33 points
Broadcast: Sky Sports (UK)
Officials: Referee- Andre Marriner, Assistant referees- Scott Ledger and Marc Perry, Fourth official- Kevin Friend, VAR- Mike Dean, Assistant VAR- Stephen Child
Bruno Fernandes was locked up by N’Golo Kante yesterday, so they’ll need to get him going again here. Given his fine form, generally, we’re not worried. Luke Shaw had a rough game yesterday too, so you have to wonder if that will open up some chances here for Alex Telles, and if that means we’ll see a position battle down the line.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Crystal Palace
David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Alex Telles; Fred, Scott McTominay; Bruno Fernandes; Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial
Prediction: Manchester United 1, Crystal Palace 0
United have never lost at Selhurst Park against Palace in the Premier League era (Wimbledon also used it as their home between 1991 and 2003), and I just don’t see that changing now.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.