Crystal Palace head to Old Trafford on Sunday and face the Premier League’s in-form team, Manchester United. A 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out helped Oliver Glasner’s men bounce back following a disastrous 3-2 loss to Burnley.
A 2-0 victory over Bosnian minnows Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday booked the Eagles’ place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League. The team appears to be battling its way out of a difficult period, during which it has won just three of 17 games across competitions.
Palace have been a bogey team for United in recent years but fell to a 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park in November. Glasner’s FA Cup winners will be heavy underdogs on Sunday, and Paul Merson reckons it will be a dissapointing afternoon at the Theatre of Dreams.
Merson says
The Red Devils are thriving under Michael Carrick and are on course to finish in the top four. They are unbeaten in six games since their legendary former midfielder took over from Ruben Amorim.
Merson expects United to make it six wins in seven games under Carrick when the two sides meet on Sunday. He wrote in his latest Sportskeeda column:
“I can’t see anything but a Manchester United win here. They are on such a roll in terms of results. I say that because they weren’t playing well but still won against Everton. We all know that this is not the Crystal Palace from six months ago. If they were still that team, I would have said Manchester United have a tough game.”
Palace are a different team due to several reasons, including the loss of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi. Glasner’s men head to Old Trafford sitting 13th in the Premier League table and are pinning their hopes of a successful season on Conference League glory.
Merson added:
“In fact, we could say the same about United as well. They look completely different from six months ago. It’s like chalk and cheese for both teams. The big advantage for Manchester United is that they only play once a week and can rest well. I expect them to secure a comfortable win.”
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Crystal Palace
Sutton says
Palace’s win against Wolves was much-needed, given the mounting pressure on Glasner’s short-term future. Reports claim that the board held a meeting to discuss his future following last Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Zrinjski in the first leg of the two sides’ play-off.
The decision was made to continue with Glasner and allow him to see out the rest of the season. He will be in charge until June, when his contract expires.
Chris Sutton thinks Palace should have parted ways with the Austrian and highlighted the club’s low mood. He told BBC Sport:
“Palace picked up a late win over Wolves last time out but it still feels like their manager Oliver Glasner should have left by now, because there is such a negative atmosphere around the whole club.”
Sutton added:
“I don’t like to question anyone’s commitment but, in this scenario, I think you have no choice. Glasner wants to leave, and the whole situation has been handled very badly. Palace have won away at Manchester United in the past two seasons but, the way things are going for both teams, you’d only ever go for a home win here.”
Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
Glasner needed his players to come to the fore on Thursday night, and they did just that with a crucial win over Zrinjski. Playing twice in three days is a problem, especially when several players, including Maxence Lacroix, have been dealing with fitness struggles as of late.
