Palace make return against United after Europa League defeat
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United begins at 20:45 [GMT] on Sunday, November 30, at Selhurst Park.
After a shocking 2-1 loss to RC Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace welcome Manchester United to Selhurst Park in a meeting that, surprisingly, has become one of the Premier League’s most awkward fixtures for the Red Devils. Once a matchup United routinely controlled, the balance has shifted dramatically over the past few seasons, and Palace now enter this encounter with both confidence and momentum on their side. Remarkably, Palace have won three of their last four league games against Manchester United—as many victories as they managed in the previous thirty meetings combined. Not only have the Eagles found a way to pick up results, they’ve shut United out completely. Manchester United have failed to score in each of their last four Premier League meetings with Palace. The only times they’ve ever gone five straight league games without scoring against an opponent date back more than fifty years, against Blackburn and Everton. One more blank here, and the unwanted record repeats. Defensively, Palace have been one of the league’s standout sides this season. Only Arsenal have conceded fewer goals, with Palace shipping just nine in their opening 12 matches — their best defensive start since 1981–82. Selhurst Park, which for decades was one of United’s most reliable away grounds, has also transformed into a far tougher venue. Palace went 13 home league games without a win against United between 1991 and 2021, but that trend is long gone. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last four home matches versus United (W2 D2), part of a much wider resurgence in South London. The 5th-placed side will be looking to pick up back-to-back victories when they host the Red Devils following last weekend’s 2-0 win over winless Wolves. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Mateta in attack is expected here against United.
Manchester United, meanwhile, continue to struggle on the road, particularly in the capital. They have won just three of their last 26 Premier League away matches against London sides, all of them against Fulham. No team has lost more away fixtures in London during this period. Their overall away form paints a similar picture: just one win in their last 11 league away games. Ironically, that victory came in impressive fashion — a 2–1 success at Anfield. Both teams feature prominently in expected-goals metrics: United’s matches have produced the highest xG total in the league, while Palace rank fourth, suggesting another high-intensity tactical battle could unfold. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Mbeumo in attack is expected against the Eagles.