Manchester United vs Crystal Palace: Preview and Prediction
The winning run of Manchester United in the pre-season continues as their triumph chariot will now be challenged by the English counterparts on the Australian turf. The Red Devils will be taking on the Crystal Palace side who are also having preparations for the 2022-23 Premier League at Land Down Under. The United camp is having a prolonged stay in Melbourne city as this encounter will be played on the historic venue of Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The United’s familiar foe Patrick Viera will be up against his beloved opposition when he will be taking the charge of the South London Eagles on the 19th of July 2020. They continued their winning run against the home Melbourne Victory and replicated the Liverpool triumph by once again scoring four goals. It will be their last game in Melbourne as the Man Utd caravan will be moving to the city of Perth to play the remaining fixture of their Australia tour.
Patrick Viera’s first season in charge at Selhurst Park went quite well as the Glaziers finished in the 12th position and also reached the semi-final stages of the FA Cup competition. The Holmesdale Fanatics have a lot of expectations from their gaffer whom they entrust to excel their reputation in the domestic league. And to execute the initial planning for the upcoming season, the South London Eagles are heading towards Australia to play a one-off club friendly with another English combatant.
What have they done so far?
The previous friendly fixture of Manchester United kick-started with their defense conceding a goal inside five minutes on the game clock. Although the Red Devils bounced back quickly and scored four goals later on to consummate the battle on a 4-1 scoreline. Anthony Martial who has returned to the United roster after a forgettable loan stint with Spanish outfit Sevilla, now has announced his grand comeback by scoring two goals in two pre-season appearances.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace began their pre-season campaign on 2nd July against the EFL League One outfit Accrington Stanley FC in a 1-1 settlement. The Selhurst-based club has played four friendly fixtures till the date in which they emerged victorious twice and had 1-1 draw and defeat outcomes each. Before dispatching for Australia, the Eagles hosted another EFL League One side Ipswich Town FC at the Crystal Palace Training Ground where they defeated the visitors on a 4-2 scoreline.
Head to Head record
The overall head-to-head record is heavily dominated by the Red Devils who have 39 victories over the Red and Blues while the counterparts could win only 10 games from the 61 encounters. Although the most recent face-off between these two combatants was won by Crystal Palace after Wilfred Zaha’s 37th-minute winning goal against his former side.
Amidst the transfer window
The United board has recently made an official announcement of Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen’s arrival at the Wheel which brought a wave of excitement among the fans. In between another Ajax outlet, the 24-year-old central defender Lisandro Martinez has also joined the Manchester Reds to reunite with his former coach Erik ten Hag. The uncertainty of Frenkie de Jong transfer is arising hence the United is now strengthening up their backup plans if this deal somehow collapses.
Cheick Doucoure gearing up for the Premier League challenge
The Red and Blues side seems to be not much interested in making big moves in this summer transfer window. The addition of the Malian holding midfielder Cheick Doucoure made his first start in the new colours against Ipswich Town and will be reinforcing their midfield unit against the Manchester Reds too. Amidst the rumours of the star forward Wilfred Zaha linked with the Italian outfit AS Roma, the Crystal Palace boss has made it clear that he won’t be letting the Ivory Coast international leave at this point.
Team News
Marcus Rashford was back on the United scoresheet
Tyrell Malacia impressed everyone with his performance on the left side of defense in the previous game but there’s uncertainty about his continuation in that position as Luke Shaw may get selected ahead of him.
The star United forward Marcus Rashford who made a second-half appearance against Melbourne Victory is expected to start against the English counterparts. While the defensive pillars Raphael Varane and David de Gea did not participate in the previous fixture but they are also set to make a comeback into the matchday squad.
Patrick Vieira may not make any big changes to the lineup that was fielded against Liverpool in the Thailand tour. Although the 29-year-old forward Wilfred Zaha who returned to the action against Ipswich Town may break into the starting XI.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Manchester United (4-3-3): David de Gea; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Scott McTominay, Fred, Bruno Fernandes; Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Vincente Guaita; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Joel Ward, Tyrick Mitchell; Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Luka Milivojevic, Killian Phillips; Jordan Ayew, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfred Zaha
Prediction
It will be very difficult for the South London Eagles to stop the Red Devils who are on top of their game. As the Premier League season is just around the corner, fans of both clubs must be looking forward to seeing more from their new players before the kick-off of the main event. It may turn out to be an easy fixture for the United side considering their current form and Crystal Palace’s recent defeat against Liverpool.