Crystal Palace – Manchester Utd

Manchester United will have a misfire in London after triumphing in the derby

The Week 7 encounter between Crystal Palace and Manchester United has been postponed to September as a mark of respect to the departed Queen Elizabeth II. Psychologically, the new date seems a disadvantage for the Red Devils, who only pulled off a real feat in the Mancunian derby on Saturday. On the other hand, Manchester United have built up a good lead in the standings ahead of their pursuers, so they can play without too much pressure for a result. Crystal Palace will go into the home encounter as the underdog, but bookmakers are in no hurry to slam the odds on the favourites, offering odds of around 1.90 for a win for MU. Crystal Palace are currently experiencing one of their worst stretches of the current season. Since the league resumed in December, the team has played five official fixtures, of which they have won just one, losing all the others. It is worth noting that Crystal's game was not only against the quite serious Chelsea and Tottenham, but also against the questionable Southampton, who are situated in the relegation zone of the Premier League. It's worth noting that Crystal Palace's play does not look hopeless. Sunday's encounter with Chelsea was a 0-1 defeat for the Glaswegian side against some stiff opposition. Manchester United, having disposed of Ronaldo before the Mundial, returned to club football with a completely different team. The Red Devils scored 17 goals in seven games in December and January, winning each of them. Those statistics helped Eric ten Hag's side reach the League Cup semi-finals, the FA Cup semi-finals and a place in the Premier League table in the top four. That said, the 'highlight on the cake' of the crazy calendar was the Mancunian derby, in which United triumphed dramatically last Saturday. No club, even the most mentally resilient, can play at this pace for long. There are doubts about Manchester United's players in this piece, even despite their systematic successes. The Mancunians' visits to Crystal Palace in the last two years have been far from triumphant. They were drawn 0-0 in 2021 and lost 0-1 in the last round of the domestic league. The Gunners are likely to put up a good fight in the forthcoming encounter.