Key events
Teams in full
Crystal Palace (probable 4-3-1-2) Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Guéhi, Lacroix; Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Ward, Clyne, Hughes, Schlupp, Lerma, Agbinone, Sarr, Umeh-Chibueze.
Manchester United (probable 4-2-3-1) Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Mainoo, Eriksen; Amad, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee.
Subs: Bayindir, Maguire, Evans, Ugarte, Casemiro, Mount, Antony, Hojlund, Rashford.
Referee David Coote.
Teams in brief: Wharton back for Palace
No surprises from Oliver Glasner as Adam Wharton, so impressive in Palace’s late charge last season, returns to the pivot after getting a night off against QPR. Eddie Nketiah, who once overcame United almost singlehandedly for Arsenal, starts up front next to Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Teams in brief: Rashford benched!
Well this is a surprise. Marcus Rashford, who has three goals in his last game and a half, is dropped to the bench. Amad returns on the right, Alejandro Garnacho keeps his place on the left after being involved in four of the seven goals against Barnsley, and Joshua Zirkzee is back as the No.9-and-a-half. Maybe Rashford has a niggle, or maybe this is why Erik ten Hag was talking about him needing to be resilient.
In better news for United fans, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund are both fit enough to be among the subs. It all adds up to a heavyweight bench.
Preamble
Afternoon everyone and welcome to an intriguing rematch. Five months ago Manchester United went to Selhurst Park and lost 4-0. It was their lowest ebb of last season, which was saying something. For Oliver Glasner’s Palace, it was part of a golden end to 2023-24 – six wins in their last seven games, including one at Anfield.
Teams that finish one season strongly are supposed to start the next well too, but Palace have proved an exception to the rule. Michael Olise has moved to Munich and seems to have taken their attacking flair with him (he scored twice today). His old mates have won none of their first four league games and in the table this morning they were level with two of the promoted clubs, Leicester and Ipswich. But Palace are usually hard to beat at home and all the more so in the evening, when the home fans make their presence felt.
United rebounded well from that embarrassment in May, beating Newcastle and Brighton, then somehow stealing the FA Cup from Man City. But this season they have been as patchy as ever – beaten at Brighton, humbled at home by Liverpool, unconvincing at Southampton until André Onana saved a penalty. Since that Sliding Doors moment, they have scored ten goals and conceded none, with Marcus Rashford scoring three and suddenly resembling his old self, and the fans daring to hope that Erik ten Hag’s under-performers have finally turned a corner. This evening will tell.
