Manchester United v Crystal Palace: live stream, TV details, how to watch, injury news & predicted line-ups
Manchester United host Crystal Palace to Old Trafford on Sunday (5 December) with newly-installed interim manager Ralf Ragnick set to take charge of his first game with the club.
The match, which kicks-off at 2pm, will see United look to continue their newly-found momentum, having secured three solid results under Michael Carrick’s caretaker tenure. The 40-year-old guided the club to a 3-2 win over Arsenal on Thursday, a match that saw ever-reliable Cristiano Ronaldo become the highest-scoring player of all-time after netting his 800th and 801st career goals.
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Hide AdThat followed a tough point secured away from home against league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and a 2-0 win over Villerreal in the Champions League group stage on 23 November.
As for Palace, they are without a win in their last three league games. They lost two consecutive matches, having fallen short in a last-minute 1-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds United on Tuesday evening. That came off the back of a 2-1 loss at home to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The sides head into the clash five points apart in the Premier League, with Palace in 11th place, while Ragnick’s new side sit seventh in the table.
Overall, the hosts have significantly more wins over their London opposition. Of the 24 meetings in the Premier League, United have won 17 of them, while Palace have only secured two victories and honours have been even on four occasions.
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Hide AdThe last time these two teams met, it ended in a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park last season. However, their previous meeting at Old Trafford will be one to forget for United as they fell to a 3-1 defeat from this Sunday’s visitors.
What’s the latest team news?
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nemanja Matic were both absent from United’s squad on Thursday evening due to injury. The former sustained a hand injury in the club’s match with Chelsea last week, but signs suggest he could return for this Sunday’s fixture.
Matic however missed the game due to a hamstring injury. There is no update as to whether the defensive midfielder will be fit to face Palace.
Luke Shaw remains a doubt after suffering a concussion in the second-half of the Manchester derby last month. The 26-year-old’s return date is still unknown. Other noticeable absentees were Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane.
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Hide AdDespite this, as seen in previous games, Alex Telles is expected to keep his place at left-back with Ragnick preferring a four-man defence.
As seen on Thursday, if Wan-Bissaka, Matic and co do miss this weekend’s fixture, Diogo Dalot performed comfortably at right-back, while United’s depth in midfield means there is no shortage of options to replace the Serb or Frenchman.
When it comes to how the Red Devils may line-up, new boss Ragnick prefers to play two strikers up front with the German favouring a 4-2-2-2 formation during his tenure with RB Leipzig. This would mean the potential for numerous strike partners for Ronaldo with Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial all in the frame, while the 63-year-old could opt for less experienced players such as Anthony Elanga or Shola Shoretire.
The visitors have several names on the sidelines with Joachim Andersen, James McArthur and Nathan Ferguson all looking to build on their fitness and return to action in the near future.
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Hide AdThe latter’s unavailability means long-standing defender Joel Ward is expected to remain at right-back this Sunday with Patrick Viera also favouring a four-man defence. He’ll be joined by another experienced centre-back in James Tomkins with Andersen a doubt.
All three absences shouldn’t have a huge impact on Viera’s tactical preference, with the Frenchman expected to opt for either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation against United.
Predicted line-ups:
Manchester United (4-2-2-2): De Gea; Dalot, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles; Fred, Fernandes; Sancho, Greenwood; Rashford, Ronaldo.
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Guaita; Ward, Tomkins, Guehi, Mitchell; Milivojevic, Kouyate; Olise, Gallagher, Zaha; Edouard.
Is the match on TV?
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Hide AdThe match won’t be shown live on TV. However, fans of both clubs can follow the game on either team’s social media channels, with the United and Palace line-up expected to be announced at 1pm. Follow us here at ManchesterWorld for full coverage live from Old Trafford and after the game.
How can I watch highlights?
The Sky Sports YouTube channel is the best place to view the main moments from the game, and both United and Palace’s websites will have the highlights after the game ends.
As usual, Match of the Day will show all of this weekend’s highlights, starting with Saturday’s action at 1.20pm on BBC One and 10.30pm on the same channel for Sunday’s games.