Three points are the target as Manchester United begin their 2020/21 Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace.
(Betfair odds above – United win/Draw/Palace win)
All eyes will be on Old Trafford this afternoon as the heavily fancied Manchester United welcome Crystal Palace for their opening game of the new Premier League campaign.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were given special permission to start a week later compared to their rivals after reaching last season’s Europa League semi-finals a little over a month ago.
Palace, on the other hand, began the new campaign on the right foot by beating Southampton 1-0 at Selhurst Park last weekend. It’s also worth noting they beat United 2-1 in their last encounter at Old Trafford and want a repeat this time around.
Manchester United Form & Stats
All the momentum gained from last season’s strong third-place finish in the Premier League appears lost, with United having endured a frustrating pre-season.
Solskjaer, who had high hopes of strengthening his squad over the summer, has only welcomed one signing in Donny van de Beek. He’s missed out on several of his top targets, including Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.
A 1-0 friendly defeat to Aston Villa last weekend, on top of their Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla, wasn’t ideal either. But perhaps too much shouldn’t be read into the former, as United were not at full strength. The setbacks, however, don’t leave a very optimistic outlook for the first match where three points are a must.
Recent history, though, still favors the Red Devils strongly for this afternoon’s showdown. They’ve won their last five opening-day fixtures after all, keeping three clean sheets in the process.
Key Team Stats
- Lost just one of their 22 league games against Palace (W17 D4 L1).
- Won their season opener more times than any other Premier League team (19).
- Undefeated in their last 14 league games.
- Scored 2 or more goals in seven of their last eight league games.
Crystal Palace Form & Stats
The Eagles ended a 30-year wait for victory at Old Trafford last time out by edging out United 2-1 in August 2019. A repeat performance, however, may prove tricky given the absence of several players (see Team News below).
The most notable absentees are defenders Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt, James Tomkins, and Nathan Ferguson. It leaves Roy Hodgson with a defensive crisis at possibly one of the very worst moments.
Palace were also fortunate to claim a 1-0 opening day win over Southampton. While Wilfried Zaha’s strike sealed all three points, they struggled to insert any proper control. The visitors instead dominated proceedings for long periods and were unlucky not to score; thanks to Vicente Guaita’s brilliant saves.
United, on the other hand, are unlikely to waste so many chances to get on the scoresheet. Especially with the talented Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Bruno Fernandes set to start in Manchester.
Losing to Bournemouth on penalties in the second round of the Carabao Cup mid-week didn’t help either.
Key Team Stats
- Never won back-to-back away games against United.
- Unbeaten against Manchester sides (City & United), in last four away league games (W2 D2).
- Haven’t won their first two games of a league campaign since 2006/07.
- Have lost last four away league games.
- Haven’t scored in last four away league games.
- Conceded two or more goals in last four away league games.
Manchester United & Crystal Palace Team News
Manchester United: Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones (out); Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo (doubts).
Crystal Palace: Gary Cahill, James Tomkins, Patrick van Aanholt and Nathan Ferguson (out); Christian Benteke, Sam Woods and Connor Wickham (doubts).
Head-To-Head Record
Match Facts
Betting Tips
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