Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

These two sides come into this game in similar veins of form, but United have been struggling immensely on home soil, while Palace have been thriving on the road. United have lost four of their last five league games at Old Trafford, but Oliver Glasner's men are unbeaten in their last five league games on the road, winning four of those.

BTTS has occurred in three of Man United's last five league games on home soil and three of Palace's last five in the league overall, so we fancy a goal at both ends here, but it's a game where we think the spoils will ultimately be shared. Manchester United 1-1 Crystal Palace.

For the first time in 12 months, Manchester United are looking to make it four wins in a row in all competitions as they take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

• Date: 02/02/2025
• Kick-off time: 14:00
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United are currently 12th in the Premier League with 29 points from 23 games. United's struggles are no secret to anyone who keeps even one eye on the sport, and they come into this game amidst what is a slow rebuilding process. Since Ruben Amorin took over from Erik ten Hag, United have continued to struggle, with the Portuguese manager coming under serious scrutiny for his insistence on playing a very particular system, a system that many feel does not suit the squad at hand. Results so far have mostly vindicated that scepticism, but there have been small signs in recent weeks that the tide might be starting to turn.

United have won four of their last five in all competitions, and while their performances in that period have been far from totally convincing, it's a run of form that they haven't managed since this time last year. There are also arguments to be had over the level of competition, no doubt, but that isn't something that's stopped United getting poor results prior to this period.

United's top four ambitions are likely now unattainable, as they sit 12 points shy of Manchester City in 4th, so it can be argued that their priority for the remainder of the campaign will be their exploits in Europe. For now, all they can do is keep racking up as many points as possible in the Premier League, and they'll fancy their chances against Oliver Glasner's side here.

Crystal Palace come into this game with 27 points from 23 games. The Eagles have fallen short of expectations this season as they look destined for a bottom-half finish. Palace were rampant in the latter half of last season but after losing Michael Olise in the summer, the team has lost its zip. They're still a strong team, but they were considered by many as prospective European contenders back in the summer, and they're a fair way from that reality.

In fairness, Palace's trajectory has been one of steady improvement, as they've gotten slightly stronger as the season has progressed, following their awful start to the campaign that saw them fail to win any of their first eight games. Still, this season will likely turn out to be more on the disappointing side than the positive, even if they're not in any real danger of relegation.

Conceding just 30 goals this season, the Eagles have been impressive defensively, but they've given nowhere near enough from an attacking perspective, scoring on only 27 occasions. Jean-Philippe Mateta is the team's top scorer with 8 goals, but with nobody recording more than four, Palace are really lacking a clinical goalscorer.

The London club's record against United has been decent of late, and despite the Red Devils' recent uptick in form, they'll be confident about getting a result here.

This game will not be televised live in the UK, but full radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio 5 Live.

Manchester United Team News:

The Red Devils are coming into this game without Mason Mount and Jonny Evans, both of whom remain out injured.

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho will both fancy their chances of a recall to the starting lineup, particularly the latter, having delivered a strong performance off the bench in midweek.

Predicted lineup: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martínez; Diallo, Ugarte, Fernandes, Mazraoui; Garnacho, Mainoo; Zirkzee.

Crystal Palace Team News:

Chadi Riad will be out for the remainder of the campaign having suffered a serious knee injury, leaving Palace short of numbers at the back.

Cheick Doucouré will also miss out through injury, but Adam Wharton is nearing a return from a long spell in the treatment room after returning to training.

Predicted lineup: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi; Muñoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Esse, Eze; Mateta.

Manchester United:

Manchester United come into this game with four wins and one loss from their last five games. During the week, goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo secured a comfortable 2-0 win away at FCSB, a result that followed a 1-0 win over Fulham thanks to a Lisandro Martínez goal.

Before that, United beat Rangers 2-1 in the Europa League, with the goals coming from Bruno Fernandes and a Rangers own goal, which came after a 1-3 defeat to Brighton and a 3-1 win over Southampton, where Amad Diallo bagged a hat-trick.

Crystal Palace:

Crystal Palace have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five games. The Eagles fell to a 1-2 defeat to Brentford last time out, but they did at least leave with a small consolation as debutant Romain Esse scored a late goal.

Prior to that, Palace recorded successive 2-0 wins against West Ham United and Leicester City, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring three times across those games.

Those results were preceded by a 1-0 win over Stockport County in the FA Cup, thanks to an Eberechi Eze goal, and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, where Mateta bagged the goal.

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