Crystal Palace will be hoping to end their three-game winless run when they take on Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Eagles have followed up an entertaining 3-3 draw at Burnley with consecutive defeats against Aston Villa and Leeds United in the last few days after making a very promising start to the current campaign.
Patrick Vieira is once again expected to be without key duo James McArthur and Joachim Andersen due to their respective injury issues, but he could still be confident of securing a positive result.
Are you confident of a Palace victory?
Yes, definitely!
No way!
Palace have already pulled off shock victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City this season, showcasing their ability to cause an upset on Sunday.
Their opponents will be boosted by having new manager Ralf Rangnick in the dugout for the first time, though, and Vieira may err on the side of caution in this intriguing clash.
With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 45-year-old to line up at Old Trafford, with just one change from the side which started last time out against Leeds…
Vicente Guaita will keep his place between the sticks for this one, and the Spanish goalkeeper will be looking for a clean sheet after Raphinha’s injury-time penalty denied him one in midweek.
Ahead of the 34-year-old shot-stopper will be a back four made up of Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, James Tomkins and Joel Ward, with Andersen’s thigh problem keeping him on the sidelines.
Vieira’s engine room selection could have a considerable bearing over proceedings, and we fancy him to opt for the experienced and more defensive-minded Luka Milivojevic over the £8.1m-rated Jeffrey Schlupp.
Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyaté are expected to partner the club captain in the middle of the park , providing a solid foundation for the forward line from which to build.
Completing the starting XI should be a front three of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard, with the summer signing just getting the nod over Christian Benteke once again, perhaps due to the Belgian’s shocking and ultimately costly miss at Elland Road.
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