Manchester United will face off against Crystal Palace on Saturday evening looking to begin their Premier League campaign with a win at Old Trafford. The Red Devils lost a friendly match versus Aston Villa last weekend by a 1-0 scoreline which should serve as a warning sign for them so that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men do not get complacent this weekend.
The Man United manager is expected to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and could be inclined to name his strongest available team for this home clash versus the Eagles. Mason Greenwood might get the nod to start ahead of Daniel James, who will have to be content with a place on the bench.
4-2-3-1 Manchester United Predicted Lineup To Face Crystal Palace
Defence
David De Gea will operate in between the sticks for the Mancunian outfit while Dean Henderson has to settle for a spot on the bench. Victor Lindelof will resume his defensive partnership with Harry Maguire at the heart of the Man United backline as they try to stop the opposition from scoring this weekend. However, for that to happen, the centre-back duo would need to keep Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha in check throughout the 90 minutes.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka will look to impress from the right-back position. Luke Shaw could play a key role on the other side as the left-back. Solskjaer will instruct both his full-backs to be more adventurous than usual so that his forwards have enough ammunition to win this crucial game in the Premier League.
Both Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Brandon Williams will be available for selection on the bench and might come on to provide some defensive protection in the second 45 minutes if required.
Midfield
Nemanja Matic will anchor the Red Devils midfield along with Paul Pogba, who would have the freedom to express himself in the opposition half. Both of them will have to dominate the midfield battle so that they can create some meaningful openings in the opponent’s half.
The fearsome trio of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood will play just ahead of them as a part of Solskjaer’s attack. Fernandes will once again carry most of the creative workload up top as he looks to pick out the runs made by Rashford, Greenwood and Martial in transition.
Daniel James and Juan Mata could make up the numbers on the bench as they await their chance to shine as the impact substitutes if Solskjaer decides to call upon their services.
Attack
Anthony Martial will lead the line for the Mancunian giants down the middle. The French striker will be eager to open his goal-scoring account for the season when he laces up to take on the Palace defenders at the Theatre of Dreams this Saturday.
