Palace Preview: Eagles look for another famous Selhurst victory

Match previews

9 Mar 2022

Crystal Palace will look to replicate their best performances at Selhurst Park this season when they take on Manchester United on the final day (Sunday, 22nd May, 16:00 BST).

Past meetings

Palace fell to a late defeat when the teams last met at Old Trafford, with Fred scoring the only goal deep into the second-half.

The points were shared the last time they came together in a foggy south London, with then-second-placed United held to a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.

Preview

After two difficult games on the road in quick succession, Crystal Palace will be pleased to be back in front of their home fans for the final day against Manchester United at Selhurst Park.

Defeat at Goodison Park was a tough one to take for Patrick Vieira’s side after leading 2-0 at the break, but they will take encouragement from the fine football they produced in the first-half – Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Wilfried Zaha in particular combining to clinical effect.

Victory on the final day can see Palace end the season on a positive note. The home fans have seen some memorable victories this season – encounters with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur stand out – and will hope for another famous result this weekend.

Palace could still secure a top-half finish should results elsewhere go their way, but there are several other milestones they could reach this weekend.

A clean sheet would see the Eagles match their highest tally for a 38-game season (12), while three goals would make it their most prolific season in the Premier League. Conceding fewer than three will also make it the club’s most defensively solid campaign in the competition.

The reverse fixture at Old Trafford was Ralf Rangnick’s first in charge of Man Utd; this Sunday’s meeting at Selhurst Park will be his last.

With no Champions League football to play for, the visitors will be focused on securing their spot in the Europa League – they could fall into the Conference League should they drop points and West Ham win at Brighton. The gap is currently two points from sixth to seventh.

Tactical overview

Patrick Vieira spoke of his desire to see a midfield duo of Jeffrey Schlupp and Eze against Everton, and for much of the game they combined to great effect – aided by Will Hughes' defensive solidity.

Conor Gallagher was rested, coming on as a second-half substitute, and could return to the starting lineup on Sunday.

With Vieira keen to maximise his side’s tactical flexibility, there is also the potential to switch to the 3-5-2 used at Wembley and Villa Park, with Cheikhou Kouyaté operating as an auxiliary centre-back.

Manchester United may give several youth players their chance to impress on the final day, with new manager Erik ten Hag watching on. Tenacious creative midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is the likeliest to play, alongside the vast experience of fellow forwards Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo. Rapid winger Alejandro Garnacho is unlikely to play.

Match details

Sunday, 22nd May
16:00 BST
Selhurst Park
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+

How to follow

On Palace TV+

Live audio commentary Palace v Man Utd will be available on Palace TV+, a subscription service that gives subscribers live access to selected Academy match broadcasts, live audio commentary of all league and cup first-team games, and much more.

Find out more by clicking here.

Social media

You can check out our Instagram story for all of the pre-match build-up and our official Twitter page is bringing you up-to-the-minute match updates, eye-catching photos and more.

Our club website, cpfc.co.uk, is the place to go for team news on the dot, an instant report and all the post-match votes.

The official app

The official Palace app’s match centre is the place to be for everything you need during the Man Utd clash. With live stats and alerts, a running match commentary feed and lineups the moment they’re released as well as an instant match report and post-match reaction from Palace TV+, there’s no need to leave the app to follow the Eagles’ efforts.

Download our app for free here!

Match previews
First-team

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