As many as eight players could miss Manchester United’s clash against Crystal Palace. The Reds will hope to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Oliver Glasner’s side at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
United squandered the chance to climb into the top five when they lost to Everton on Monday night. Now, following Newcastle’s win over the Toffees on Saturday evening, the Reds have slumped to 12th in the table.
Ruben Amorim’s side could still clinch fifth place this weekend, so long as they defeat the south Londoners and other results across the country go in their favour. Fortunately for United, they’ve had an extra couple of days to prepare for he match.
Strasbourg stormed past Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night. The French outfit came from behind to win 2-1 at the Stade de la Meinau, clinching three crucial points in the race for automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
While United may fancy their chances against the Eagles, they’re set to be without some big names. One of whom will be Matheus Cunha, who suffered a minor knock in training on Saturday.
Benjamin Sesko is also set to miss the Crystal Palace clash due to a knee injury. Harry Maguire faces a spell on the sidelines too, having sustained a hamstring issue against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend’s match, Amorim claimed Cunha will be fit to face West Ham on Thursday evening, while Sesko and Maguire face slightly longer periods in the treatment room. The United boss said: “No, Sesko is going to take a little bit more time.
“Harry, the same. I expect to have Matheus in the next one, not this one,” added Amorim. When pressed on whether the Slovenian had encountered a setback during his rehabilitation, he replied: “No, it’s [going to] take a little bit longer. We are taking care of the injury.”
Glasner is also set to be without some players. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Crystal Palace boss confirmed Borna Sosa will be unavailable for selection, while Will Hughes remains somewhat of a doubt.
“Borna Sosa will miss this game again, but Will [Hughes] doesn’t look so bad, so we’re very hopeful that he’ll be in the matchday squad,” said Glasner. “All others are fine.
“Of course, we came back late, but we already watched Man United in preparation, and that’s the rhythm we are in now until the middle of January, and again, we are enjoying it, because that means we are quite successful.”
Caleb Kporha, Cheick Doucoure, and Rio Cardines are also out for Crystal Palace. That said, only the latter has managed to feature this season, with each of his appearances coming off the bench in October.
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