Manchester United hold all the cards in the race for a Champions League finish, with their main challengers being Chelsea and Liverpool. Manchester United are the only club of this trio that have no other duties between now and the end of the season while Liverpool and Chelsea are still both in the Champions League and FA Cup.

Manchester United have been performing really well under Michael Carrick, most recently running out 1-0 winners over Everton on the road - the exact type of game which United would have crumbled in just a few months ago. Carrick deserves a lot of credit, but there is also serious quality in the United side. They’ve probably been the most entertaining team to watch in the Premier League this term with the attacking talent they have in the side.

Manchester United come into this game having won four of their last five matches across all competitions, and have won all three of their games at Old Trafford under Carrick. They welcome a Crystal Palace side who have been struggling in recent weeks in the backdrop of Oliver Glasner coming out with some strange comments in his press conferences. 

Palace had to play during the week in the second leg of their Conference League tie against Zrinjski Mostar, and Glasner constantly complains about how thin the squad is, so I think the Eagles will struggle a little with fatigue in this clash. Manchester United also have a lot more to fight for than Palace at the moment in the Premier League, Glasner’s side will surely be judged by their performance in the Conference League between now and end of the season so United have the higher motivation coming into the game as well. 

Matheus Cunha is one of those players that just suits playing for a club like Manchester United. He’s got that arrogance that you need to play for a club of the stature of United, and has added some end product to his game in the second half of the season after a slow start.

Cunha’s shot volume has always been quite high, he averaged 3.81 shots per 90 for Wolves last season and has posted similar numbers this term with an average of 3.29 shots per 90. Cunha is rarely deterred when he misses a chance, even if it is a golden opportunity, he will quickly pick himself up again and have more attempts - a bit like Bruno Fernandes.

This relentless nature, when it comes to Cunha’s shot rate, means that he’s always a decent player to back for a shot on target. 24 of his 63 attempts have found the target in the Premier League this season (1.25 per 90), working out to a shot accuracy of 38%. This has translated into six goals for Cunha in the Premier League, and I wouldn’t be against backing him for another goal in this clash.

There aren’t many players in the Premier League who are more combative than Will Hughes. This isn’t quite reflected in his season-long stats this season with 18 fouls committed across his 14 starts in the Premier League (1.35 per 90), but a dive through his historical numbers and potential opponents here make this a decent angle.

Palace committed 14 fouls when the sides met earlier in the season, Hughes was on the bench for that game, but both Casemiro and Fernandes were fouled, suggesting that the midfield can be an active battleground for foul exchanges again here. Hughes committed 65 fouls across his 24 starts in the Premier League last season (2.76 per 90) - which is a more accurate representation of how combative Hughes can be.

Senne Lammens was Manchester United’s most important player in their 1-0 win over Everton last time out. Benjamin Sesko received all the plaudits for his brilliant run and finish to secure all three points, but Lammens gave United the platform to get that goal with the four saves he made in the contest.

Lammens hasn’t really put a foot wrong since stepping into the United net, which is one of the most scrutinised positions in football. The best compliment I can probably give Lammens is that I don’t really notice him until he is called into action. This marks quite the change from the theatrics of Andre Onana, who constantly demanded the limelight with his antics.

Lammens was forced into two stops when the sides met earlier in the season, and I think Palace have enough firepower to test him on at least two occasions. Across the season as a whole, Lammens has made 48 saves across his 21 Premier League starts - working out to an average of 2.29 saves per 90.