Manchester United will be looking to finish their season off on a positive as they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Manchester United
Closing off the season with a trip to London, Manchester United will certainly look to put the disastrous season past them very quickly. The Red Devils kicked their season off on a positive note - the return of Cristiano Ronaldo and a 5-1 victory over Leeds sparked a bright flame amongst their supporters, but followed by numerous inconsistent performances, manager change, player drama and a few embarrassing defeats, the Red Devils now find themselves fighting for 6th place. Nevertheless, the Manchester side will still have all to play for as a victory at Selhurst Park will secure their spot in next season`s Europa League campaign, but it certainly won`t be an easy task. Following their 3-game winless streak in the Premier League, the Red Devils crushed Brentford in a 3-0 victory where Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane added their names to the scoresheet, but as a clear trademark of their inconsistent season they went on to lose 4-0 at Brighton. The confirmed attendance of the new manager Erik ten Hag and the threat of potentially dropping to the UEFA Conference league should spark an urgency within the United squad, but yet again it is difficult to speculate their performance due to their inconsistency. We`ve seen this season that if this side decides to show up on the day, they are capable of running through the opponents and there is no time more important to perform than on Sunday afternoon.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace has had a shaky season but are now 10 points clear off the relegation zone and still have potential to finish in the top half of the Premier league table if results go in their favor. Palace has not had the greatest season either but can definitely be proud of reaching the FA Cup Final where they were knocked-out by Chelsea. Patrick Viera`s outfit were on track to finishing the season off on a positive streak, going 4 Premier League games without a loss but a dramatic second half comeback from Everton on Thursday evening ended that streak with a 3-2 loss. Looking back at their previous meeting, Manchester United took a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, but with their current form there will probably be enough gaps for Crystal Palace to capitalize on and take revenge against the Devils. However, there is not much incentive for the Palace outfit to play for besides the bragging rights and the club`s eyes are most likely fixed on the holiday and the following season. Nevertheless, Viera`s side have the potential to secure at least a single point on Sunday afternoon simply due to Manchester United`s inconsistency and I would back the Eagles to find the back of the net at least once.
Verdict
Manchester United`s inconsistent season makes this game very difficult to predict and to be honest the result can go either way. However, the Devils still have all to play for and the aspect of their new manager watching from the stands can be an extra motivational factor. Not to say that they are the favorites, but if Rangnick`s side show up on Sunday afternoon they can definitely secure their spot in next season`s Europa League campaign and if they won`t they will have a miserable end to their season.
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