Crystal Palace host Manchester United in the Premier League at Sunday lunchtime, with the visitors reeling off the back of a woeful defeat at home to Everton.
The Toffees secured their third ever Premier League win at Old Trafford on Monday night, despite playing 77 minutes of the contest with 10 men after Idrissa Gueye was sent off for slapping teammate Michael Keane.
United’s attempts to make the most of their man advantage proved futile, and they slumped to one of the meekest defeats of the Ruben Amorim era, which celebrated it’s first anniversary on the night.
That ended a five-game unbeaten run for the Red Devils, who now sit 10th in the league table. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, moved up to fifth after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 last weekend.
The Eagles are enjoying themselves domestically, but their first continental quest has so far proven a challenge. Oliver Glasner’s side suffered their second defeat of the league phase on Thursday night, losing 2–1 to Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg.
And while they’ve struggled off the back of their midweek ventures so far this season, Palace boast an impressive recent record against the Red Devils. They’ve won three of the previous five meetings, and United haven’t triumphed at Selhurst Park since July 2020.
Glasner has so far opted against wholesale rotation for the Conference League, typically limiting the number of changes from the previous weekend’s domestic outing.
Thus, most of those who started the 2–1 defeat to Strasbourg will likely retain their places for Man Utd’s visit.
However, we will see Adam Wharton back in the midfield engine room, and potentially Chris Richards returning to the Austrian’s back three.
The hosts are without Cheick Doucouré, Chadi Riad and Caleb Kporha through injury. Borna Sosa, one of few summer arrivals, is nursing a knock, too.
Amorim confirmed after the international break that Benjamin Šeško would be out for the next “few weeks” due to a knee injury, and United were also without Matheus Cunha for their defeat to Everton on Monday night.
It’s believed that Cunha picked up a head injury in training ahead of the game and missed out as a precaution. However, Amorim has confirmed that the forward will not be fit for Sunday’s clash.
Harry Maguire also remains out due to the thigh injury sustained in the 2–2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, but Lisandro Martínez is now available, having spent much of the year on the sidelines nursing a long-term knee problem. Still, Luke Shaw will likely get the nod at left centre back on Sunday.
