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Manchester United will face off against Crystal Palace later this afternoon at Selhurst Park.
The Red Devils come into the game in fine form as they won 3-0 against Southampton last weekend and demolished Barnsley 7-0 in the Carabao Cup.
The Eagles promise to be a somewhat sterner test, however.
United’s recent struggles versus Palace
It is a fixture that United have traditionally dominated, winning 41 of the 66 matches the two sides have played against one another in history.
Nonetheless, this is a fixture that has caused United certain headaches in the recent past, as they have only won four out of the previous ten meetings, with the South London side becoming something of a bogey team.
In fact Erik ten Hag’s side lost both games last season against the Eagles, including a damning 4-0 defeat at the start of May.
Ten Hag has claimed that the situation is very different now as he had to piece together a side due to injuries and now comes to Selhurst Park with a much stronger squad, boosted by the return of Rasmus Hojlund.
How will Casemiro respond?
Another interesting story from the game is how Casemiro will respond if he is given the chance to play.
The Brazilian struggled massively last season and was badly exposed in this fixture as Michael Olise tore him to shreds.
Luckily for United, the French attacker will not be playing today as he moved on to Bayern Munich in the summer, but Casemiro will certainly have a point to prove.
Pundit Paul Scholes tore into the makeshift centre half after the game, claiming he had no business playing in that position and asserted that the player shouldn’t really be playing for a top level club.
He has been better this season, playing in a more familiar defensive midfield role, but disappointed hugely in an appalling showing against Liverpool, where he was subbed off at half-time. With the signing of Manuel Ugarte it is possible the former Real Madrid star will be relegated to the bench for the foreseeable future.
The return of Dean Henderson
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson will be champing at the bit to impress for Palace against his former side.
Henderson came up through the Carrington system, playing 29 times for the first team, but never fully securing a first team spot for himself.
The 27 year old has finally found a starting berth in the top flight of English football as he has played all of Palace’s six games this season in the league and Carabao Cup.
He will certainly be aiming to remind United of his talents this evening.
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