Key events
Full teams
Crystal Palace (probable 4-3-1-2) Henderson; Muñoz, Richards, Guéhi, Lacroix; Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada; Eze; Nketiah, Mateta.
Substitutes: Turner, Ward, Clyne, Hughes, Schlupp, Lerma, Agbinone, Sarr, Umeh-Chibueze.
Manchester United (probable 4-2-3-1) Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martínez, Dalot; Mainoo, Eriksen; Amad, Fernández, Garnacho; Zirkzee.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Maguire, Evans, Ugarte, Casemiro, Mount, Antony, Hojlund, Rashford.
Referee David Coote
Team roundup: Wharton returns to Palace
There are no surprises from Oliver Glasner: Adam Wharton, who impressed late on for Palace last season, returns to the centre-half after having a night off against QPR. Eddie Nketiah, who once almost single-handedly outplayed United for Arsenal, starts in attack alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Teams at a glance: Rashford on the bench!
Well, this is a surprise. Marcus Rashford, who has scored three goals in his last game and a half, is on the bench. Amad returns to the right, Alejandro Garnacho keeps his place on the left after having a hand in four of the seven goals against Barnsley, and Joshua Zirkzee returns as a No. 9 and a half. Maybe Rashford has a niggle, or maybe that's why Erik ten Hag was talking about him needing to be resilient.
In good news for United fans, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund are fit to play as substitutes. All of this translates into a heavyweight bench.
Preamble
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to an intriguing rematch. Five months ago Manchester United The team went to Selhurst Park and lost 4-0. It was their worst form of last season, which is saying a lot. For Oliver Glasner's Palace, it was part of a golden end to the 2023-24 season: six wins from their last seven games, including one at Anfield.
Teams that finish one season well should start the next well, but Palace have proved an exception to the rule. Michael Olise has left for Munich and appears to have taken his attacking talents with him (he scored twice today). His former team-mates have not won any of their first four league games and in this morning's table they were level with two of the newly promoted clubs, Leicester and Ipswich. But Palace are usually difficult to beat at home, and even more so at night when the home fans make their presence felt.
United bounced back well from that embarrassment in May, beating Newcastle and Brighton, then, somehow, stealing the FA Cup from Manchester City. But this season they have been as patchy as ever: losing at Brighton, humiliated at home by Liverpool, unconvincing at Southampton until André Onana saved a penalty. Since that Sliding Doors moment, they have scored ten goals and conceded none, with Marcus Rashford scoring three and suddenly looking like his old self, and fans dare to hope that Erik ten Hag’s underperforming side have finally moved on from the crisis. Tonight will tell.
