Premier League: Are you an Eagle or a Devil?

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United

Ahead of this Saturday teatime Premier League encounter, it’s a fair question to ask.

Perhaps you’ve seen the Eagles soar since Oliver Glasner arrived to spark a late season surge last term.

Or maybe, after a tentative start to the new campaign, you feel the Red Devils are now starting to make their opponents feel the heat.

Either way, when these two clubs meet, there is often an edge and I suspect this will be no different.

 

Talking Points

The last seven days have suggested both teams may actually have turned a corner.

Crystal Palace overturned a two goal deficit at home to Leicester last Saturday with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s stoppage-time penalty (his second of the contest) rescuing a draw.

They then followed that up with a League Cup success at QPR in midweek.

Glasner and Palace fans would have felt frustrated when they lost key players Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen this summer but that is where the departures ended.

The club held firm over captain Marc Guehi, despite reportedly receiving a number of bids from Newcastle United, and they also managed to bring in four new players on transfer deadline day (one of seven arrivals in total).

Alongside Daichi Kamada and Maxence Lacroix, players Palace signed to help Glasner get his ideas across quicker as he has worked with them before, the Eagles recruited Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal, a player with the potential to form a dangerous attack alongside Mateta and Eberechi Eze.

Saturday will provide another chance for some new faces to bed in and claim a major scalp, yet the match also provides an ideal opportunity for United to lay down a marker and deliver some Premier League highlights after two wins and two defeats from their opening four league games.

Victories over Fulham and Southampton were deserved and encouraging displays.

By contrast, defeats to Brighton and Liverpool witnessed a series of woeful individual mistakes.

The last seven days have been productive though and they will want to build on that.

The 3-0 victory on the south coast last Saturday lunchtime was followed by a midweek romp in the League Cup at home to League One outfit Barnsley.

Both sides are still missing key men and the home side are without long-term absentees Chadi Riad (knee) and Matheus Franca (broken rib), while Trevoh Chalobah (abdominal) will be assessed ahead of kick-off.

Meanwhile, United’s list of absences include Luke Shaw, although the Red Devils have been boosted by the return to training this week of Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount so don’t be surprised if both are named among the substitutes.

I covered a five-goal thriller in this fixture six years ago and this could be similarly entertaining.

 

History

Last season this fixture had the script writers penning an obituary for the visiting manager – and probably some of his players.

A 4-0 thrashing against a resurgent Palace was considered a low point of the campaign.

Less than three weeks later, coupled with the return of some key personnel, Erik ten Hag and his players were parading the FA Cup around a sun-kissed Wembley.

The goalscorers that early May evening at Selhurst Park were Olise (two), Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell which completed a league double after Joachim Andersen’s superb strike gave the Eagles a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford the previous September.

United did beat Palace last term – a 3-0 League Cup success courtesy of goals from Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial.

The inaugural meeting between these sides came in August 1922 in the former Division Two where John Wood and Joe Spence goals gave United a 2-1 Old Trafford victory.

Overall, Palace have 12 wins against United, who have tasted success on 41 occasions, with 13 draws.

 

Betting Tip

There’s very little to choose between the teams with the SBOTOP Premier League betting odds.

If you fancy Palace to secure a third league win in a row against the Red Devils, then you can back them 1X2 @ 2.57 and Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.05.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils are on offer 1X2 @ 2.42 and Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.42.

The Draw is priced at an attractive @ 3.33.

With plenty of attacking talent on both sides, then it’s worth considering Over 3.00 goals @ 2.05, Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.00 and 4-6 @ 2.61, or perhaps you are opting for a more conservative 0-1 @ 3.74?

Odds of @ 105.00 are available if you can see another 4-0 Palace romp.

I personally can see a few goals again.

   

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