Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Preview
Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace will host Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United on Saturday, with the hosts looking to bounce back after two straight defeats. Palace began the season in fine form but have lost their last two fixtures against Leicester City and West Ham United. The Eagles are one of the Premier League’s fastest sides and they could cause a number of problems for United’s makeshift back four.
Yannick Bolasie has been incredible for Palace in the last 18 months but perhaps the man to watch in this clash will be Wilfried Zaha. The former United winger was treated harshly during his time at Old Trafford and was almost exiled from the team during David Moyes’ era at the club. Now at Selhurst Park, Zaha is eager to show United exactly what they are missing and could have a key role in Palace’s success this season.
Defensively, Palace have been fairly reliable on the most part this season. Prior to their recent defeats, the Eagles had won consecutive fixtures, keeping a clean sheet in both matches. Alan Pardew’s side may well be struggling for consistency but they tend to produce their best performances against the big sides and will cause plenty of problems for a United side that have struggled to reach their potential so far this campaign.
In their most recent fixture, United were held to a disappointing goalless draw against noisy neighbours Manchester City. The Red Devils struggled to create many clear-cut opportunities against a well-organised City side and Palace will take heart from United’s lack of creativity. Unfortunately for the Eagles, United usually respond well after a below-par result and many people are asking ‘what is Van Gaal planning next’ after the derby draw.
The Red Devils still believe that they can win the Premier League this season and, if they perform at their very best, then it would be difficult to argue against this belief. However, they simply haven’t shown enough quality in the final third to suggest that they will break the best defensive units down and have already been shut out twice this season.
It would be tricky to argue against the form book but Palace won’t be easy opponents for United. Traditionally, the Eagles have coped well against the Red Devils but may find it tricky if the 13-time Premier League champions raise their game. However, we believe that Palace could take a 1-1 in this clash and could even nick it if their flair players perform.
Category: Local News and Sport
