Roy Hodgson’s side started the season in spectacular fashion, following up their opening day win with a successful trip to Old Trafford. Andros Townsend opened the scoring after just seven minutes before a brace from Wilfried Zaha secured all three points.
However, Man Utd have recovered since then and now sit second in the table as the division’s top scorers. Palace will be looking to complete a first Premier League double, with the visitors unbeaten in their 11 visits to Selhurst Park, winning the last four.
Meanwhile, victory over Brighton and a hard-fought draw with Fulham see Palace sitting 10 points above the relegation zone, with their highest points total at this stage of the season in the Premier League era.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have a strong record on the road this season, stretching their unbeaten record to 20 games – despite conceding the first goal on eight occasions. Despite this, they have won just one of their last five away from home.
Solskjaer and Hodgson have met on four occasions, each winning twice – with neither able to defeat the other on home ground.
It will also be a reunion for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has made 82 appearances for United since he left Selhurst Park in 2019.
Match details
- Wednesday, 3rd March
- 20:15 GMT
- Selhurst Park
- Sky Sports
Tactical overview
Man Utd have scored more goals at this stage of the campaign than in any since they won the league in 2012/13 – and a significant factor has been their finishing.
According to xG, the metric which shows how many goals a side should have scored based on the quality of their chances, United have scored 10.8 more goals than is expected, the highest difference in the league.
However, Palace too have benefitted from sharp shooting, with their goals tally seven higher than their xG suggests.
Palace need to ensure their defensive efforts continue to the last, as against Brighton and Fulham. Twenty-one of the Eagles’ goals conceded this season have come in either the first 15 minutes (9) or the final 15 minutes (12) of action, more than any other team in the competition.
The visitors' record suggests they get stronger as the match progresses, scoring 26 of their 53 goals after the hour mark.
Did you know?
Manchester United have won nine of their last 11 midweek Premier League fixtures (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), winning all six away games in this run.
Bruno Fernandes has 40 goal involvements in his 40 league appearances so far (23 goals, 17 assists). However, three of the last four matches in which the Portuguese has failed to register a goal or assist have been in London (v Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham).
Wilfried Zaha scored twice against former side United in Palace’s 3-1 win at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture. No former Man Utd player has ever scored home and away against the Red Devils in the same Premier League season.
Team news
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pleased to welcome Scott McTominay back to his side as the Scotsman featured in their last outing against Chelsea, but Paul Pogba remains unavailable with a thigh injury. Edinson Cavani will be assessed, while Donny van de Beek was fit enough to make the bench at Stamford Bridge.
Palace are boosted by the availability of Jeffrey Schlupp and Connor Wickham, who bolster Roy Hodgson's attacking options after a long spell on the sidelines. Wilfried Zaha has returned to first-team training, but the Man Utd game will likely come just too soon for him.
Nathaniel Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell are unavailable after suffering minor injuries, while James McArthur, Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins remain out.
How to follow
On TV
Palace v Man Utd will be shown live in the UK via Sky Sports. Full details can be found here.
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 Man Utd 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.
