Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United Prediction, 7/16/20
After earning just a single point against Southampton in their previous fixture, 5th-placed Manchester United will try to get back on track while paying a visit to 14th-placed Crystal Palace, who are safe from relegation and have nothing else to play for. Kick-off - at 15:15 PM ET on Thursday, July 16.
Crystal Palace Lose Fifth Straight
Crystal Palace have gone on their worst run of results in the league since dropping eight decisions in a row in September 2017 after earning their fifth straight defeat following a 2-0 setback against struggling Aston Villa away at Villa Park on Sunday. The Eagles will still be fuming after having a 7th-minute goal disallowed for handball after the ball struck defender Mamadou Sakho’s shoulder on its way into the net before the hosts buried a strike in each half. Crystal Palace sit 14th in the standings (W11 D9 L15), completely safe from relegation.
Ghanaian forward Jordan Ayew leads the Eagles with nine league tallies for the season. Spaniard Vicente Guaita, meanwhile, occupies the 8th position in the Premier League’s goalkeeper chart, having stopped 103 shots this year. He has collected 10 clean sheets in 32 outings this season and allows a goal every 78 minutes on average. Crystal Palace has buried the 2nd lowest amount of goals during the current campaign (30) while delivering the 2nd lowest quantity of shots per game (9.8). The team is 13th in both ball possession (46.4%) and passing accuracy (76.3%).
Man United Draw With Saints
An excellent chance to move into the 3rd place in the Premier League was blown for Manchester United, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Southampton at Old Trafford on Monday. Two goals in a span of three minutes by Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in the first half canceled out the Saints’ opener before the visitors equalized six minutes into injury time following a corner. In case of a win, the Red Devils would have leapfrogged Leicester City and Chelsea in the standings, but now still find themselves 5th in the league (W16 D11 L8), on level points with the Foxes, but with an inferior goal differential. The team has still extended its unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions (W13 D5), last having performed better between April and November 2010 (29 contests).
Both Rashford and Martial top Manchester United’s scoring chart with 16 league strikes each. Goalie David De Gea, meanwhile, sits 13th in the EPL with 86 saves. He has registered 11 clean sheets in 35 contests during the ongoing campaign and concedes a goal every 90 minutes of play. The Red Devils have tallied the 5th highest number of goals this season (61) while taking the 4th highest amount of shots per game (14.5). The team is 5th in both ball possession (54.5%) and passing accuracy (83.4%).
Prediction
Even though 5th-placed Manchester United have a considerably much more favorable list of upcoming fixtures in the last three Matchdays of the Premier League than 4th-placed Leicester City and 3rd-placed Chelsea, the Red Devils are very much unlikely to take this outing with ease. Not that Crystal Palace seems like a tough nut to crack at the moment! They did beat United 2-1 in this season’s reverse contest in August in Manchester, but had failed to triumph in a single meeting between the pair for 13 straight games in all competitions prior (D2 L11). Besides, the Eagles are currently riding a five-game losing streak, having failed to score a single goal in four of those contests, and have little to give in terms of determination, having already secured a place in the Premier League for the following season.
Best bet:
Manchester United to win to nil (+100)
Also From Valdis:
Leicester City vs. Sheffield United Prediction
Southampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion Prediction