Manchester United welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford aiming for four wins on the bounce in all competitions.
The Red Devils have played the Londoners 67 times and have won on 41 occasions.
They have drawn 14 and lost 12 times in their history.
Here are three plotlines to look forward to ahead of the game on Sunday.
Crystal Palace have been a tough nut to crack lately
Despite dominating the historical rivalry, Palace have not been an easy fixture for the Red Devils lately.
“Palace have won five of the past 11 top-flight encounters (three draws and three losses), including three of their last five trips to Old Trafford.”
In fact United have not won against Palace since a 3-0 victory in the League Cup in September 2023.
They have also only won three out of the last ten Premier League games against the Eagles as they have struggled to cope with their counter-attacking style.
“Manchester United are in danger of going four consecutive league matches without scoring against a particular opponent for the first time since a similar run versus Arsenal between 1981 and 1983.”
Whilst most matches have been close affairs, United were ripped apart last May at Selhurst Park in a 4-0 defeat and will be hoping for some sort of revenge today after only managing a 0-0 draw at the same stadium in September.
Dean Henderson’s Old Trafford return
During the 0-0 draw in September, Andre Onana pulled off an incredible save that won the Premier League’s save of the month competition.
Nonetheless, the former United goalkeeper in the Palace goal also played a crucial part in the match.
He made numerous top drawer saves to keep United at bay and frustrate his former side as the Eagles held on for a credible draw.
The former United academy graduate has been in fine form this season, playing 23 times in the league and conceding just 30 goals in those matches.
He has also kept six clean sheets with only Mats Selz, Jordan Pickford, David Raya and Andre Onana keeping more this season.
United aiming to break bad habit
According to the BBC, “United have failed to score a first-half goal in 17 top-flight games this season, more than any other side, netting 68% of their goals after the break (19 of 28).”
This clearly gives the opposition an advantage as they are likely to score first. This happened against Brighton and Hove Albion, Southampton, Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in the last two months.
It is even more galling as Ruben Amorim’s side are actually very good at getting results when they get their noses in front.
“The Reds are unbeaten in all 19 of their league and cup games this season when scoring first, winning 11 and drawing eight. Arsenal and Newcastle are the only other Premier League sides still undefeated in all competitions after opening the scoring.”
Featured image Bryn Lennon via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
