Manchester United vs Crystal Palace Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News

17 September 2020 03:15

Manchester United begin the new season with a home fixture against Crystal Palace on Saturday in the Premier League.

The Red Devils have been in fine form in 2020, going unbeaten in the league since January. This run elevated them from seventh to third place, securing Champions League qualification.

Palace ended the campaign in slightly less inspiring form, picking up just one point from the final eight fixtures. However, they kicked off the new term with a victory over Southampton.

The Eagles won on their last visit to Old Trafford thanks to an injury-time goal by Patrick van Aanholt.


Where to Watch

When Is Kick Off? Saturday 19 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 17:30 (BST)
Where Is it Being Played? Old Trafford
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Premier League (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Martin Atkinson


Team News

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has few absentees ahead of their opener. Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones are both expected to miss out through injury, while Paul Pogba could be rested over concerns for his match fitness.

Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek is in contention for his debut following his arrival from Ajax.

On the other hand, Roy Hodgson's squad has been blighted by injuries, especially in defence. Patrick van Aanholt, James Tomkins, Gary Cahill, and Nathan Ferguson are all sidelined, leaving very limited options at the back. Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham are also ruled out.

Michy Batshuayi could make his first appearance of the season after returning to Selhurst Park for his second loan spell at the club.


Predicted Lineups

Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Van de Beek, McTominay, Fernandes; Greenwood, Martial, Rashford.

Crystal Palace: Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Dann, Mitchell; Townsend, Milivojevic, McArthur, Schlupp; Zaha, Batshuayi.


Recent Form

The 20-time English champions were in scintillating form after the restart, picking up convincing wins against Sheffield United, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa. The performances in the Premier League dipped, but United still got the results to edge them over the line.

However, their run in the Europa League was slightly less convincing. They hobbled past Copenhagen, before being knocked out by Spanish side Sevilla.

Palace ended the last campaign with a whimper, losing seven of their last eight and scoring just three times in that run.

The new season started in perfect fashion, recording a 1-0 win over Southampton thanks to Wilfried Zaha's goal. However, this was followed by an early League Cup exit to Bournemouth on penalties.

Here are the last five results for each side.

Manchester United

Sevilla 2-1 Manchester United (16/8)
Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen (10/8)
Manchester United 2-1 LASK (5/8)
Leicester 0-2 Manchester United (26/7)
Manchester United 1-1 West Ham (22/7)

Crystal Palace

Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace (15/9)
Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton (12/9)
Crystal Palace 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (26/7)
Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace (20/7)
Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester United (16/7)


Prediction

The visitors have picked up just six points in 22 Premier League fixtures against Saturday's opponents, so the omens aren't good for Hodgson's side.

Solskjaer's men were unconvincing towards the end of last season, often looking fatigued. Having had a few weeks of rest, they should be fully fit and firing. If this is the case, it's difficult to see the Eagles' makeshift defence being able to handle the Red Devils' attacking threat.

Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Crystal Palace

Source: 90min