Match Preview: Crystal Palace v United

Thursday 19 May 2022 07:00

Manchester United wrap up the 2021/22 Premier League season with a Sunday afternoon (16:00 BST) trip to Crystal Palace.

Victory in the capital will secure a sixth-place finish and thus qualification for next season’s Europa League.

Here is all you need to know about this weekend’s fixture, our final match of the campaign…

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HOW TO WATCH

UK TV coverage has been confirmed and the game will not be shown live on Sky Sports. MUTV will have exclusive build-up, featuring team news, followed by live radio commentary and reaction after the final whistle. Alternatively, there will be text updates and in-match data as part of our coverage on ManUtd.com and in the Official App as events unfold at Selhurst Park.

TEAM NEWS

Ralf Rangnick should be able to welcome back English attacking duo Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford into the fold, the pair returning to training this week from bronchitis and tonsillitis respectively.

Edinson Cavani has come off the bench in our last two matches - against Brentford and Brighton - and could therefore be in contention to start. Brazil midfielder Fred should also be available.

Luke Shaw also returned to training this week after having metal bolts removed from his leg, originally put there during an operation on a broken leg in 2015.

The hosts play once more before our Sunday fixture, travelling to Everton on Thursday night to take on the relegation-threatened Merseysiders. The exact make-up of their squad isn’t yet clear, therefore, but Patrick Vieira won’t be able to select Michael Olise. The talented young winger has been ruled out for the rest of this campaign, joining Nathan Ferguson on the sidelines.

FORM GUIDE

United go into this game on the back of a 15-day break which followed a chastening 4-0 defeat away at Brighton. The Reds will be looking to go some way to making amends as this season wraps up, and need three points to be sure of Europa League qualification. Should West Ham win and United fail to do so, we will instead qualify for the Europa Conference League.

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League table prior to their fixture at Everton, hoping for a win at Goodison Park which would lift them into the division’s upper half. A top-10 finish in Vieira’s first season in charge would be some achievement, but they’ll likely need a victory over United to make that happen.

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HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

This will be the 60th meeting between the two sides; the Reds have won on 39 occasions so far to Palace's nine, with 12 games resulting in draws.

LATEST MEETINGS

In the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in December, Fred’s emphatic outside-of-the-box finish proved the difference in Rangnick’s first game in charge as interim manager.

Our last fixture away at Crystal Palace ended in a 0-0 draw and, while the Eagles have managed two surprise victories at Old Trafford in the recent past, United are unbeaten at Selhurst Park since 1991, a run stretching over 13 matches.

MATCH OFFICIALS

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RIVALS WATCH

All 20 Premier League teams are in action at the same time on the last day of the season. All fixtures kick off at 16:00 BST.

SUNDAY 22 MAY

Arsenal v Everton
Brentford v Leeds United
Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United
Burnley v Newcastle United
Chelsea v Watford
Crystal Palace v UNITED
Leicester City v Southampton
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur

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