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Manchester United will be looking to bounce back when they host Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils suffered a crushing 3-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City in the derby. Although it was widely expected that the superior Manchester City side would prevail, the loss had to sting. United looked completely listless and confused, continuing their pattern of unpredictability this season.
The team have lost to Brighton Albion and West Ham in the Premier League. But when least expected, the same United team almost notched a win at Chelsea and delivered a crushing blow at the death to Juventus in their own backyard.
Needless to say, United remain a big club; the general expectation is that the players will somehow shake off their jitters and get the much-needed wins when they absolutely have to.
It is still only 12 matches into the season, but the gulf in class between United and the other title contenders is getting increasingly large. It is matches such as the one against Crystal Palace that United can build confidence on. On the flip side though, if they lose, they risk the possibility of widening the gap further.
The international break has brought a lot of good fortune to a couple of United’s first team players. The players available have looked happy in training this week, and United should get the job done given these three factors:
#3 Depth
Jose Mourinho has been given a huge boost with the return of most of his first team squad members. This week, Marouane Fellaini, the red-hot Anthony Martial, Diogo Dalot and Marcos Rojo have all been spotted in training. Paul Pogba is also expected to play a part on Saturday after missing out on international duty in order to recover.
There is some element of depth in United’s squad, which increases the competition for spots and in turn enhances the overall performance. There is a genuine chance that Dalot will get the nod to start in either full back position.
Veteran Ashley Young could be given some much-needed rest, but club captain Antonio Valencia is back in the fold. United now have the strength of depth to get a win if the right tactics are used.
#2 Home advantage
Playing at Old Trafford is rarely easy for visiting teams. This is largely due to the history and standard set by Sir Alex Ferguson. He made Old Trafford a fortress, and that mentality has stuck till date.
United will line up against Palace with the full voice of their fans behind them. This is particularly important when it comes to motivating the players and giving them that extra dose of urgency in their play.
It is always an advantage to play at your home ground because the players are familiar with the pitch. What United need to do is seal those loopholes in defense and feed off the fans’ energy in order to defeat Palace.
#1 Form and confidence boost
A lot of United players who took part in the international break had a good run with their national teams. The attackers in particular were clinical in front of goal, which should be a boost.
Jesse Lingard scored two goals while Alexis Sanchez was also on target. Swedish centre Back Victor Lindelof and Valencia also scored.
Martial has scored six goals in his last seven matches. He is currently the best player at United and should be retained in the starting line-up.
With Romelu Lukaku being a huge doubt, the Frenchman is expected to be unleashed against Palace.
