Two teams that play the same basic formation but are in completely different form meet at Selhurst Park: Crystal Palace, a strong home team with a solid defense, are in 5th place in the Premier League, while Manchester United are only in 10th place and under considerable pressure after their recent home defeat to Everton. Both coaches rely on a 3-4-2-1 formation with wide full-backs, but while Palace integrates the offensive full-backs Muñoz and Mitchell in a very targeted manner and builds up pressure via a well-secured back three, United under Rúben Amorim has so far only been able to implement similar principles in a sloppy manner, which was particularly evident in the criticized line-up against Everton and a lack of flexibility after setbacks. Crystal Palace may be coming off a 1-2 defeat to Strasbourg in the Conference League, but they appear more solid overall, while United not only have to digest their defeat to Everton, but are also struggling with injuries, with key players such as Sesko, Cunha, and Maguire missing for the Red Devils. At Palace, the attacking fullbacks, central defenders, and number 10 positions could make the difference, while at United, creativity and punch in attack could be lacking if Sesko and Cunha remain sidelined, putting even more responsibility on the midfielders and fullbacks. Oliver Glasner will be keen to confirm his defensive stability and efficient transitions, while Amorim needs to prove that his ideas work away from home and that he can react tactically to setbacks. Overall, Palace go into this Premier League clash as slight favorites, with their combination of tactical stability, home form, and comparatively better personnel situation making them the more likely winners, while United need to find solutions to their lack of consistency away from home and injury problems.
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London
- Date and time: 11/30/2025, 1:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 13)
Several factors speak against Manchester United in this match: Crystal Palace looks very stable tactically in Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 formation with a strong defense, United is weak away from home with only one win in its last eleven league games and is also coming off a recent home defeat against Everton. In addition, Cunha and Sesko are out of United’s offense, which further weakens the visitors. A high-risk tip with higher odds would be Over 3.5 goals, as more than 2.5 goals have been scored in around 80% of United’s recent games, and both teams are currently displaying offensive and defensive behavior that favors many goals. A medium-risk bet would be Both Teams to Score: Yes, as United have conceded at least one goal in their last five games and Palace have scored in four of those five games, with Mateta providing additional goal threat for the hosts. A more conservative tip would be Crystal Palace to win. The betting market rates Palace as a moderate favorite with odds of around 2.3, but tactical and form-related indicators point to an even greater advantage, such as their strong defense, high intensity, and United’s weakness away from home.
Crystal Palace Form & Record Check
Crystal Palace is in 5th place in the Premier League with 20 points, just one point behind Aston Villa above them and one point ahead of Brighton below them. The league is tight, but Palace is showing remarkable consistency. Under Oliver Glasner, the team looks very stable, especially in the first half. In their last five league games, Palace has not conceded a goal before the break, and in four of those five games, the score at halftime was under 1.5 goals. The defense is compact, while the offense tends to be more controlled in the first 45 minutes. Most recently, there was a 2-0 away win at Wolves, preceded by a 0-0 draw against Brighton and a 2-0 win against Brentford. Overall, the team is performing solidly in the league, even if there is still room for improvement in their offensive performance over the full 90 minutes. Palace are struggling much more on the international stage in the Conference League. The 2-1 defeat at Strasbourg was a setback, despite clear missed chances, and with two wins and two defeats, Palace are only in 18th place in the group stage, making their progress uncertain. In the Premier League, however, Palace are very competitive and have rarely been beaten, with only two defeats. If they can maintain their form, even a small run of wins could take the team further up the table. At the same time, the tightness of the table means that two or three poor results could quickly see them slip back, which is why Glasner needs to ensure consistency and sharpen the offense over 90 minutes, while the European Cup commitments are creating additional pressure.
Coach: Oliver Glasner, system: 3-4-3. In midfield, Wharton and Lerma move into the center, while in defense, captain Guéhi leads the back three, with wing-backs Muñoz, on the left or right depending on the formation, and Mitchell. In attack, Mateta is expected to start as center forward, supported by Sarr and Pino on the wings. Cheick Doucouré is not eligible to play in the Conference League, which may influence Glasner’s considerations for managing the workload, and Mitchell’s goal in Strasbourg is likely to increase his chances of starting or at least getting a lot of extra minutes.
Manchester United Form & Record Check
Manchester United are in an inconsistent phase, with two wins, two draws, and one defeat from their last five league games, but the 1-0 defeat to Everton, despite having a man advantage for around 80 minutes, reveals deeper problems that go beyond the pure results. Tactically, there is a clear pattern under Rúben Amorim: United often leads at halftime, and in four of their last five games, the team was ahead, but they are unable to hold on to that lead. In all five games, United conceded at least one goal, and in four cases, it came in the second half, which points to weaknesses in game control, fitness, adaptability, or substitutions after the break. Added to this is a pronounced weakness away from home. Before the away game at Crystal Palace, United had only won one of their last eleven league games on the road, a 2-1 win at Liverpool. In games such as those against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, promising positions were squandered because the intensity dropped and central areas were no longer controlled. Amorim’s adherence to the 3-4-2-1 formation is increasingly viewed critically. The decision against Everton to bring on the more defensive full-back Dalot for Dorgu, rather than exploiting the numerical superiority offensively, was interpreted as a lack of flexibility. Experts criticize that the system too often takes precedence over the specific game situation. The wing-back positions are also problematic. Amad Diallo accounts for nine of the 13 scoring points that come from these positions, while the other players on the wings, Dorgu, Dalot, Mazraoui, and Malacia, have only contributed to four goals from 67 starts, which is far too few for a system that relies on width and offensive shifts down the flanks. There is a lack of control in the center. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes have recently been conspicuously open, which contributed to the decisive scene in the 0-1 defeat to Everton. Manuel Ugarte has been disappointing so far and Kobbie Mainoo is hardly getting any playing time. In addition, personnel shortages in the offense due to the absences of Cunha and Sesko and an overall long injury list are further exacerbating the situation. With 18 points and in 10th place, the Red Devils are not in a dramatically bad position in the table, but they are already eleven points behind the leaders, so the upcoming match against Crystal Palace is significant, especially as Palace also play a 3-4-2-1 formation and, with Oliver Glasner in 5th place, show how this system can work when player profiles and principles fit together. Concrete approaches for improvement would be more tactical flexibility with situational role changes for the full-backs when there is a numerical advantage, bolder rotation in midfield, such as more minutes for Mainoo, reinforcement or clearer task profiles for the wing-backs, who have so far provided too little offensive impetus, and a stronger focus on fitness and mentality for the second halves in order to maintain leads and better control the phases after the break. Overall, United have a clear idea under Amorim, but they lack the right player profiles, adaptability, and stability over 90 minutes. The match against Crystal Palace will therefore be an early indicator of whether Amorim is flexible enough to adapt his concept or whether personnel changes and system adjustments will become inevitable.
Coach Rúben Amorim is expected to stick with his 3-4-2-1 formation, despite recent criticism of the system. The offense is missing two important options in Cunha and Sesko, and Maguire is also unavailable on defense. In front of goalkeeper Lammens, a back three of Yoro, de Ligt, and Martínez is expected, with Mazraoui and Dorgu likely to start on the flanks of the three- or four-man back line, although Dorgu has recently been criticized for not contributing enough offensively. Casemiro and Fernandes are expected to play as a double six and central pairing in central midfield, with Diallo and Mbeumo providing creativity behind the striker. Zirkzee is expected to start up front, having made his first start of the season against Everton and looking to impress with another chance in the starting lineup.
Crystal Palace – Manchester United Head-to-head & statistics
The record of the last five head-to-head matches clearly favors Crystal Palace, with three wins for Palace, one win for Manchester United in the 2023 League Cup, and one draw. All three Palace wins came in the Premier League. Particularly noteworthy is United’s defeat in February 2025, when Palace won 2-0 at Old Trafford. Prior to that, the Londoners had already triumphed 4-0 in May 2024 and 1-0 in September 2023, with only the match in September 2024 ending goalless. Most of these games were low-scoring, with less than 3.5 goals scored in four of the five encounters, and the second halves in particular rarely produced many goals, suggesting that the Eagles are compact and well-organized defensively. The current H2H form is therefore a clear argument in favor of Crystal Palace. United have recently struggled to find solutions against the Londoners’ compact style of play, which plays an important role in both the sporting assessment and possible tactical considerations and betting decisions.
