Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: Expect penalties, but perhaps not a goal from Wayne Rooney
A look ahead to the Premier League fixture at Selhurst Park
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Your support makes all the difference.It’s a big game for…
WAYNE ROONEY: Louis Van Gaal is coming under increasing pressure to drop his under-performing captain as Manchester United have failed to score in 235 minutes and Rooney has looked a shadow of himself. He missed a decisive penalty in Wednesday’s Capital One Cup loss against Middlesbrough and has scored just once in his last six games.
Weird stat…
4 in 5: Manchester United have been awarded four penalties in their last five games against Crystal Palace. Each one has been converted and led to United winning the last four meetings between these two sides, the exception coming when Crystal Palace won at Old Trafford in the 2011 League Cup quarter-finals.
Remember when…
Eric Cantona launched himself at Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons in one of the most shocking moments in Premier League history. His infamous ‘kung-fu kick’ at Selhurst Park in 1995 is still remembered over 20 years on and resulted in one of the longest bans in English football.
Player to watch…
WILFRIED ZAHA: The 22-year-old winger will be desperate to put in a strong performance against the side that limited him to just four appearances in an unsuccessful two-year period. He also has a point to prove current manager Alan Pardew as he’s failed to complete any of his last five Premier League games and hasn’t scored in his last nine appearances in all competitions.
Past three-meetings…
Crystal Palace 1 (Puncheon) Manchester United 2 (Mata pen, Fellaini), Premier League, May 2015
Manchester United 1 (Mata) Crystal Palace 0, Premier League, November 2014
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 2 (van Persie pen, Rooney), February 2014
Form guide…
Crystal Palace: WWWLLL
Manchester United: WLWDDL*
(* = lost on penalties after draw in normal time)
Vital information…
KICK-OFF TIME: 3pm, Saturday, 31 October
TV: Highlights on BBC1 from 10.25pm
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