After delivering one of his trademark tactical masterclasses against Chelsea, Jose Mourinho will be determined to make sure that there is no room for complacency when United take on Crystal Palace.
United have often been hit this season by the supposedly weaker teams as Mourinho’s team have failed to bring their ‘A’ game in these games. Against Palace, last time, they had a remarkable game as United cruised past 4-0 against the Eagles. A lot has changed since, but one thing that every United fan would want to remain the same is the performance and the scoreline!
Team News
Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have been ruled out of the game already as both the defenders are carrying knocks. Marouane Fellaini should be back within a couple of weeks after undergoing a slight operation last month. Ander Herrera is still out due to a muscular injury. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, continues his quest to attain proper match-fitness.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
David de Gea will don the goalkeeper’s gloves in the match as the Spaniard has been outrightly impressive in recent games. Against Palace though, there are little chances that he would be tested. Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young could be the two fullbacks in the four-man backline. Both of them provide an attacking outlet going forward, whilst remaining rigid defensively.
Victor Lindelof has shown some assuring signs of confidence and the game against Chelsea was a prime example of this fact. Eric Bailly could be provided some playing time before the big games against Sevilla and Liverpool in the coming week.
Midfield
Nemanja Matic was absolutely phenomenal against Chelsea last week and seems to have recovered from his muscular injury. The Serbian was benefitted with the three-man midfield formation as he had to cover limited spaces and did that effectively.
Scott McTominay could start as the other midfielder in this match. The young lad has been appreciated all through the week as the boy is composed on the ball and does his job diligently. McTominayis impressive in both defence and attack and has been immense for United ever since he was given regular opportunities this season.
Paul Pogba could be favoured to play on the left side of the three-man midfield that enables him to attack more regularly while being relieved of the defensive work every time.
Attack
Anthony Martial has proven numerous times that he needs to play as the left winger or as the striker to regularly contribute to the goals. The Frenchman was entrusted to play on the left by Jose against Chelsea and that prompted Alexis Sanchez to switch to a more central role. This is a more of a free role in which the Chilean thrives. He could be shifted to a central position again to make him see more of the ball.
Romelu Lukaku delivered his best performance in the United shirt against Chelsea. On Monday, he will be determined to bring some consistency and put in two top performances on the bounce.
