Potential Manchester United XI vs Crystal Palace
Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United will be looking to secure Champions League football this weekend with a win over Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace side, should results go their way.
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A win at Selhurst Park would see the gap open up to seven points with two games remaining, meaning if Liverpool fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon then Champions League football will be confirmed for Old Trafford next season.
However, it’s not as easy as it seems. Manchester United are coming off a three game losing streak, having failed to score a goal in any of those defeats to Chelsea, Everton and West Brom. Louis van Gaal must get his team playing football again to avoid a repeat of those three games, where United struggled to create against block defences with Marouane Fellaini completely nullified.
David De Gea will continue his run as the only ever-present under Louis van Gaal. The Spanish goalkeeper’s future has been the hot topic of the future in recent weeks but as he looks set to claim the Player of the Year trophy for a second successive season, De Gea will look to regain the form that saw him claim a place in the PFA team of the season too.
At right-back, Antonio Valencia will almost certainly start once again. With Rafael out for the season and Paddy McNair struggling at centre-back in recent games, Valencia is the only option in all honesty.
Chris Smalling will continue at centre-back undoubtedly buy the question comes as to who will partner him. Youngster McNair has struggled in recent weeks and with Phil Jones making his return in midweek for the Under 21’s, playing 60 minutes during the side’s 1-0 win over Southampton the England international is in line for a return to the team.
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Luke Shaw missed the loss to West Brom with a groin injury, which saw Daley Blind move back across to left-back. Shaw is unlikely to be fit enough to return so Blind will once again continue at full-back as Marcos Rojo is yet to recover from his injury.
Midfield continues to be a problem for Manchester United. Michael Carrick isn’t expected to be fit enough in time to return for Saturday’s game, meaning Wayne Rooney is likely to return to a midfield role once again. Ander Herrera has been playing as the deepest of a midfield three recently and with Rooney alongside him, United have struggled to contain teams on the counter attack which is something Palace will almost certainly look to exploit.
Just ahead of them, Marouane Fellaini has been a revelation this season for Louis van Gaal. Despite that however, the Belgian has struggled in recent games when teams have used two blocks to defend. With that in mind, it’s possible that Louis van Gaal could switch the style up.
Juan Mata has played out wide in recent weeks but it’s well known that his best and favoured position is as the No.10, just behind the striker. With Fellaini’s ineffectiveness, Mata brings a different style to the team in the same position although it would mean sacrificing the physicality of the ex-Everton man.
In the wide positions, van Gaal once again has a decision to make. If Juan Mata is to move into a central position, that means Angel Di Maria will almost certainly return to the team. The Argentine has struggled for form over the last few months but a start could be exactly what he needs in a game of this magnitude. Ashley Young will likely start on the opposite wing for United, as he looks to continue his form and celebrate agreeing a new three-year contract extension.
Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao are battling it out for their long-term futures at Old Trafford and the Dutchman is almost certainly on top at the moment. van Persie came straight back into the team last week ahead of Falcao following his injury, but missed a penalty as United drew a blank for a third consecutive game. van Persie is likely to continue as the starting striker, but it’s not totally against the grain to suggest that Falcao could prove to be the match-winner.
Credit: sharemytactics.com
Credit: sharemytactics.com