Crystal Palace and Manchester United meet on Sunday at Selhurst Park in a match that already feels important for both sides. Palace are coming off a midweek 2-1 loss to Strasbourg, which ended their European momentum. United, as also reported by SoftFootball, slipped earlier in the week after losing 1-0 to Everton, and their chance to break into the top five disappeared in the process.
Recent meetings between the sides have tilted heavily toward Crystal Palace. They are unbeaten in four league games against United, winning three and keeping clean sheets in all of them.
Palace also remain one of the strongest home sides this season, still unbeaten at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim’s United have struggled away from home and have managed just one win in their last eleven league trips.
Tactically, this match brings two similar setups against each other. Both managers like variations of a 3-4-3, but Palace have looked more balanced.
Their wing backs hold their structure better, and their defensive line stays disciplined even when pressed. United, on the other hand, created plenty of shots against Everton but looked short of conviction in the final third.
Team News
Palace have a few concerns after their trip to France. Will Hughes overstretched his knee, but early signs show it might not be serious. Borna Sosa will miss the match, while Marc Guehi is expected to start after his minutes were managed midweek. Cheick Doucouré and Chadi Riad remain unavailable.
United will again be without Matheus Cunha, as confirmed by the manager in the press conference video shared on the club’s official X account, with Amorim hopeful he will return for the West Ham match.
Benjamin Sesko is out for a longer spell with his knee issue, and Harry Maguire will also miss out. Those absences leave United short of options in attack and defence.
Watch the video below:
Possible Lineups
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Lacroix, Guehi, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Pino.
Manchester United: Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mount, Diallo; Mbeumo.
Softfootball’s Prediction
Selhurst Park has not been kind to Manchester United recently, and Palace’s strong home form gives them a clear edge. SoftFootball’s outlook leans toward a narrow Palace win, especially with United missing key players and battling poor away results.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester United.
