Manchester United will seek to secure their third successive victory across all competitions when they visit Selhurst Park to confront Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
The Red Devils will want retribution against the Eagles following their significant 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in May of the previous season.
Crystal Palace is one of six Premier League clubs who remain without a victory after four matches this season, having garnered only two points from draws against Chelsea and Leicester City.
Following defeats in their initial two Premier League matches against Brentford and West Ham United, Palace secured a commendable point with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea before the international break, subsequently recovering from a deficit to achieve a 2-2 home draw against Leicester last weekend.
Goals by Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi initially established dominance for the Foxes; however, Jean-Philippe Mateta regained his scoring form with a second-half brace, culminating in a 92nd-minute equalizer from the penalty spot, thus securing a draw for the Eagles.
Glasner’s team has secured advancement to the fourth round of the EFL Cup after defeating Queens Park Rangers 2-1 at Loftus Road on Tuesday night, with goals from summer acquisition Eddie Nketiah and former Hoops player Eberechi Eze occurring either side of halftime.
Palace has demonstrated commendable performance in the EFL Cup this season, notably defeating Norwich City 4-0 at home in the second round. They aspire to replicate this form in the Premier League, commencing with Saturday’s match against Manchester United, a team they triumphed over both at home and away last season with an aggregate score of 5-0.
Manchester United’s commencement of the 2024-25 season was suboptimal, as consecutive Premier League defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool intensified scrutiny on manager Erik ten Hag as the international break approached.
The Red Devils have recently seen a resurgence, exhibiting a positive demeanor after securing victories in their past two matches with a cumulative score of 10-0, which includes a 3-0 Premier League triumph against Southampton last weekend and a commanding 7-0 defeat of Barnsley in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho each netted three goals in the two games, contributing two goals apiece against League One team Barnsley. Additionally, Christian Eriksen and Antony each scored to facilitate Manchester United’s advancement to the EFL Cup fourth round.
Manchester United supporters should refrain from becoming overly exuberant about victories against a third-tier team and a newly-promoted Premier League club; however, consecutive wins have provided Ten Hag’s squad with a crucial morale enhancement in anticipation of a demanding schedule, featuring five matches within a 16-day span in both the top flight and the Europa League.
Positioned 10th in the Premier League standings, Manchester United approaches Saturday’s encounter with Crystal Palace burdened by a poor away record against London teams, having secured merely two victories in their last 16 Premier League matches, and suffering as many defeats (10) in the capital since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as they did in 118 such fixtures during the illustrious manager’s 26-year reign.
