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How Manchester United could line up against Crystal Palace

Sports Mole looks at how Manchester United could line up for their Premier League showdown with Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.

Manchester United will aim to keep the pressure on the Premier League's top four when they lock horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Thursday evening.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men missed the chance to leapfrog Leicester City and Chelsea into third as they were held to a 2-2 home draw by Southampton on Monday, meaning that United remain fifth in the table with three games left to play.

Furthermore, following the news that Manchester City succeeded in their appeal against a two-year ban from European football, United's current fifth-placed standing is no longer good enough for Champions League qualification as the race to earn a spot amongst Europe's elite gathers pace.

With an FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea to contend with at the weekend as well, Solskjaer is facing plenty of dilemmas when it comes to team selection for Thursday.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how United could line up for their midweek showdown with Palace.



POSS UTDXI vs. PAL

Out: Axel Tuanzebe (unspecified), Phil Jones (knock)
Doubtful: Mason Greenwood (ankle), Luke Shaw (ankle), Brandon Williams (facial)

> Click here for Manchester United's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Solskjaer put his faith in the same 11 players once again for the clash with Southampton, but signs of fatigue were evident amongst some of United's regular fixtures.

The Norwegian boss must now work out how best to manage his squad prior to their upcoming FA Cup semi final, and Solskjaer is therefore expected to shuffle the pack for the trip to Selhurst Park.

Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones are United's only confirmed long-term absentees, although left-backs Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams both picked up injuries against Southampton and are doubts here.

Williams would be more likely to be given the nod should he be declared fit, although Diogo Dalot is an option for Solskjaer if both Williams and Shaw are unable to recover in time for the trip to the capital.

Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have formed an effective midfield partnership but both men could be rested here, meaning Fred and Scott McTominay may be given the chance to impress from the opening whistle.

Solskjaer has insisted that Mason Greenwood is irreplaceable given the teenager's prolific goalscoring form as of late, but the Englishman was the victim of a controversial Oriol Romeu tackle early on in Monday's game.

Greenwood powered through and lasted 84 minutes of the encounter at Old Trafford, but Solskjaer could call up Daniel James in order to avoid taking any unnecessary risks over Greenwood's fitness.

Bruno Fernandes added another assist to his tally against the Saints and should start again on Thursday, while Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will both be looking to score in back-to-back matches when United lock horns with an out-of-sorts Palace side.

ID:406501:

Who will win Thursday's Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester United?

Crystal Palace
Draw
Manchester United
Crystal Palace
6.6%
Draw
8.4%
Manchester United
85.0%
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLiverpool36303377294893
2Manchester CityMan City36243993355875
3Chelsea361961164491563
4Leicester CityLeicester371881167392862
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd361711863352862
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves371514851381359
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs3716101160461458
8Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd371412113836254
9Burnley37159134248-654
10Arsenal36131495345853
11Everton371310144353-1049
12Southampton37147164859-1149
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371111153755-1844
14Crystal Palace37119173049-1942
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton37814153753-1638
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham36107194760-1337
17Watford36810183457-2334
18Aston Villa3687213966-2731
19Bournemouth3787223764-2731
RNorwich CityNorwich3756262670-4421

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