Latest EPL standings as well as fixtures and results are found below the predictions.
Manchester United return to London on Wednesday night to face Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.
The Red Devils were in the capital only last Sunday, when they draw a blank away to a surprisingly conservative Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was a third draw in four EPL fixtures since their 9-0 Old Trafford thumping of sorry Southampton.
And it means United go into the midweek action a whopping 12 points adrift of rivals Manchester City at the top of the table, clinging on to second place ahead of injury-hit Leicester.
Pep Guardiola’s City will also have first dibs when they host Wolves at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Paul Pogba is a big injury miss for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who at least had Scott McTominay fit ahead of schedule at the weekend to bolster the midfield.
Veteran striker Edinson Cavani is also a doubt for the Selhurst Park clash, meaning Anthony Martial is likely to feature up front.
Crystal Palace have been badly struck by injuries in recent weeks, but four points from their last six has seen them inching closer to Premier League survival.
Roy Hodgson’s men pulled off a handy 2-1 victory away at Brighton before a goalless draw at home to Fulham on Sunday that most certainly won’t be remembered for years to come.
But needs must in a difficult season for everyone, with the Eagles sitting 13th in the EPL, ten points above the relegation zone with 12 matches left to play.
The return of Wilfried Zaha would be a huge boost to the Palace ranks, with their star man nearing his comeback after injury, as is Nathaniel Clyne.
A bundle of absentees include Mamadou Sakho, James Tomkins and Nathan Ferguson at the back, not to mention keeper Wayne Hennessey.
James McArthur, Jeffrey Schlupp and Connor Wickham also miss out for Hodgson’s patched up side.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: By the numbers
- Coming into this game, Crystal Palace has picked up 9 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That’s 1.8 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in just 2 of those games. Crystal Palace has scored 5 times in the last 5 fixtures.
- It’s possible we will see a couple of goals here, with the last 4 games for Crystal Palace ending with 2 goals or more being scored.
- Things have not been going that well in front of goal for Crystal Palace recently, with the side failing to score in 2 of the last 5 games. Will the manager change his tactics today, or throw in another forward?
- Crystal Palace has fired blanks in 10 games this season. That’s 40% of games where they have not been able to find the back of the net. Do they need a new forward? In the last 5 games, they have scored just 5 goals.
- Just 2 of the last 5 games for Crystal Palace has ended with both teams scoring. They have won 3 of those 5 games. Overall, BTTS has landed in 12/25 games for Crystal Palace this season.
- Coming into this game, Manchester United has picked up 9 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That’s 1.8 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in an intriguing 3 of those games. Manchester United has scored 16 times in the last 5 fixtures.
- Superb stuff from Manchester United away from home, where they are currently unbeaten in 12 games. Can they go another game without defeat?
- Momentum is really building for Manchester United as they have now gone 5 games without losing. They have won 2 of the last 5 games they have played.
- It’s possible we will see a couple of goals here, with the last 4 games for Manchester United ending with 2 goals or more being scored.
- Manchester United is unbeaten in the last 5 games coming into this fixture against Crystal Palace, having won 2 and drawn 3. They have scored 16 goals in those 5 games.
- In the last 5 matches for Manchester United, 3 of those games has ended with both teams scoring. This season 16 matches (64% of all matches) involving Manchester United has seen BTTS landing.
- It’s likely that Manchester United will score today, as they have netted in the last 4 games coming into this one and have scored 16 goals in the last five games.
Stats source: footystats.org
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: Prediction
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: EPL starting XI prediction
Probable Crystal Palace Starting XI: Vicente Guaita, Joel Ward, Cheikhou Kouyate, Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend, Luka Milivojevic, Jairo Riedewald, Eberechi Eze, Christian Benteke, Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Probable Manchester United Starting XI: David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Fred, Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial.
Find all English Premier League predictions, fixtures and results for 2-4 March 2021 here.