Eagles to lay some scratches on red hot Devils
Having bested Manchester City in hugely controversial circumstances at the weekend, Manchester United will be looking to temporarily go above their rivals in the Premier League table when they make the trip down to Selhurst Park to take on an inconsistent Crystal Palace side. The Red Devils have the chance to go into second spot and close the gap to six points behind leaders Arsenal. Whether they can achieve this will be down to which guise of the hosts turns up on Wednesday night. Read our preview here:
Ayew watching?
Patrick Vieira's charges have lost their last three in all competitions, the latest being a narrow 1-0 defeat at Chelsea where they largely matched the Blues. Joachim Andersen went off during the game with a calf injury, so he's set to miss out altogether on a place in the squad. James Tomkins will replace him in the heart of defence, and will likely have to deal with Marcus Rashford head-on. At the other end of the pitch, Jordan Ayew's selfless work on the right flank could prove fruitful for the hosts and take some of the attention off the likes of Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha. The latter's contract expires in the summer, with fans of the Croydon based club hoping he sticks around on this occasion.
Bruno's boxing clever
Rashford will have an assessment on a knock of his own to ensure his inclusion, which is likely to come at the spearhead of the visitors' attack as Anthony Martial has some injury issues of his own. Bruno Fernandes was the chief architect of their derby day victory, looking like a player completely unshackled since the acrimonious departure of Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup break. Lisandro Martínez could be restored to the left-sided centre back slot, giving Luke Shaw the job of nullifying Ayew on his flank. Casemiro has also shown his immense quality in the recent, continuing winning run, and he'll work alongside Fred to choke the life out of the hosts' forays in the middle of the park.
Betting tip
If nothing else this season, Erik ten Hag has made Manchester United respected and even feared once more on the pitch, and made qualification for the Champions League a likelihood as a bare minimum. Their ambitions could yet be higher than that, but there will be losses of individual and collective form at some stage. Crystal Palace can stop their own rot with a decent result under the floodlights; Parimatch have odds of 3.60 for a draw.
