MANCHESTER UNITED get off and running in the Premier League with a home game against Crystal Palace TODAY.
The Red Devils were given the first weekend of the season off after a gruelling European fixture list, but will hope for a better performance than they put in during a friendly defeat to Aston Villa.
- Kick-off: 5.30pm
- TV/ live stream: Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League
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Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
EYES ON OLD TRAFFORD
Is it time for Manchester United to step out of the shadows?
GLAD ALL OVER MANCHESTER
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last four Premier League away games against the two Manchester clubs (W2, D2).
The last side to go five such games unbeaten were Chelsea between May 2013 and October 2014 (W2, D3).
SPEEDY STARTERS
Manchester United have won their opening Premier League fixture on 19 occasions, more than any other club.
However, this is the first time their season opener has not taken place on the opening weekend.
WILF WITH THE ARMBAND
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBSTITUTES
13 Hennessey, 34 Kelly, 45 Inniss, 4 Milivojevic, 7 Meyer, 25 Eze, 23 Batshuayi.
CRYSTAL PALACE XI
It's a tried and tested 4-4-2 line-up for Roy Hodgson with Cheikhou Kouyate continuing as a makeshift centre-back alongside the returning Mamadou Sakho. James McCarthy and James McArthur will take charge of central midfield while Wilfried Zaha captains the side on his return to Old Trafford.
31 Guaita, 2 Ward, 8 Kouyate, 12 Sakho, 27 Mitchell, 10 Townsend, 18 McArthur, 22 McCarthy, 15 Schlupp, 11 Zaha, 9 Ayew.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBSTITUTES
26 Henderson, 3 Bailly, 29 Wan-Bissaka, 17 Fred, 34 Van de Beek, 11 Greenwood, 25 Ighalo.
MANCHESTER UNITED XI
There's no place in the starting line-up for Donny van de Beek in Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer's first selection of the season. The former Ajax midfielder is only on the bench, where he is joined by former Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The home side opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Paul Pogba in the centre and Anthony Martial leading the line.
1 De Gea, 24 Fosu-Mensah, 2 Lindelof, 5 Maguire, 23 Shaw, 39 McTominay, 6 Pogba, 21 James, 18 Fernandes, 10 Rashford, 9 Martial.
THE TEAM SHEETS ARE IN….
LIVE FROM OLD TRAFFORD
Good evening and welcome to our coverage of the Premier League encounter between Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
Having sat out the opening weekend, the time has come for the Red Devils to begin their 2020-21 campaign, and their fans will have hopes of a 21st English league title at its end.
There are reasons for the Old Trafford faithful to dream. Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s team ended last season on a 12-match unbeaten run in the league and, in Bruno Fernandes, the United boss believes he has found the man to build success around.
Solskjaer must now decide whether to hand the new £40m signing Donny van de Beek his Premier League debut. The Dutchman is eyeing a starting spot in a midfield that also has Paul Pogba in contention following a period in quarantine.
However, the home side will recall that it was little over a year ago that Crystal Palace last visited Manchester United. On what proved to be a momentous afternoon, the Eagles ran out 2-1 winners thanks to Patrick van Aanholt’s stoppage time strike.
There were pre-season concerns for Palace following a 7-game losing streak during Project Restart, but a solid win over Southampton last weekend has the south London club believing an Old Trafford repeat is possible.
Roy Hodgson has boosted his ranks with the signing of the exciting Eberechi Eze, and he may be in line for his first start following an eye-catching cameo off the bench last time out. Meanwhile, Selhurst Park's talisman, Wilfried Zaha, returns to face his old club.
Team news will follow shortly before the action kicks-off at 5.30pm.
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