Although United have succumbed to Palace in only one of 22 league meetings, Palace’s victory and such a feat from Zaha will fire a warning to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Reds, who step into their first Premier League match since July.
Previous meeting
A game for the books would be Palace’s momentous 2-1 victory against United at Old Trafford last August, the club’s first league win in Manchester’s red half since 1989.
Team news
The Eagles’ Patrick van Aanholt, who stole the winning goal to mark a first Premier League victory against United, will likely be absent from the match as he continues his recovery.
However, the south Londoners won’t be disheartened, with manager Roy Hodgson reporting a positive fitness update earlier in the week. Christian Benteke, Connor Wickham, Mamadou Sakho and Jairo Riedewald are all making positive strides to full fitness.
Manchester United’s most recent signing Donny van de Beek from AFC Ajax could also be one to watch as he is in line to make his competitive debut against Palace. Van de Beek, 23, is a highly rated central-midfielder who is likely to link United’s deep, defensive play with their sparkling front line.
Opposition
United have begun their time on the pitch down a peg from Palace, with a loss in pre-season against Aston Villa. The Red Devils were unable to equalise after recent Villa signing Ollie Watkins netted early on.
Although defeated, it should be noted that members of their usual line-up were absent, including 2020 signing from Sporting Clube de Portugal, midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who has been involved in roughly of 40% of United’s goals since his debut.
A choppy start for United could give Roy Hodgson’s side the edge, but they will have to keep their guard up at Old Trafford, considering that United have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 13 home league games against Palace.
Tactical overview
Solskjaer’s current 4-2-3-1 formation was in play during United’s final match of the 2019/20 season against Leicester City and proved effective in a 2-0 win. Further, United are lauded for having an impressive defensive record - one of the tightest in Europe – due to the cover provided by two sitting midfielders.
The manager
Interestingly, Solskjaer has lost both of his Premier League home games against Palace. First in 2014-15 with Cardiff City and then again in 2019 leading United.
How to follow
On TV
United v Palace will be shown live via Sky Sports in the UK.
All 28 top-flight games in September are being broadcast live. Palace v Everton will be shown on Amazon Prime.
Palace Audio
Palace supporters all over the world can listen to live audio commentary of every Palace fixture in the 2020/21 season for just £1.49 per game on the official club app, mobile internet or on desktop.
Fans can buy a 24-Hour Pass (for a single matchday) for £1.49 by clicking here.
Find out more about Palace Audio here!
Social media
You can check out our Instagram story for all of the pre-match build-up and our official Twitter page is bringing you up-to-the-minute match updates, eye catching photos and more.
Our club website, cpfc.co.uk, is the place to go for team news on the dot, an instant report and all the post-match votes.
The official app
The official Palace app’s match centre is the place to be for everything you need during the United clash. With live stats and alerts, a running match commentary feed and lineups the moment they’re released as well as all an instant match report and post-match reaction from Palace TV, there’s no need to leave the app to follow the Eagles’ efforts.
Download our app for free here!
International fans
For fans following from abroad, have a look at our Worldwide TV Listings here.
