Sports Blog 05/03/2018: Premier League Preview – Crystal Palace vs Manchester United, Monday 5th March 2018

Can Crystal Palace hop back out of the relegation zone with a result against Man United, at 8pm on Sky Sports?

After such a strong run between the end of November and the start of January, Palace’s form has really trailed off in the last few weeks, returning them to the relegation scrap proper following a couple of months of the illusion of safety. They’re currently on a 5 match winless streak, with losing against Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham joined by draws against West Ham and Newcastle leaving them in 18th place, one point behind Southampton but with a game in hand.



Even during their flush period Palace weren’t exactly the best going forwards, and with just 25 goals in 28 games they have the joint 3rd worst tally this season, trailing only bottom of the table West Brom and, somewhat inexplicably, 7th place Burnley. Christian Benteke has been a huge disappointment, his 2 goals in 22 appearances allowing him a Super Mega PGM of 12-16; there’s maybe a tad more hope around January signing Alexander Sorloth, who is chasing his debut goal for the club at a Super Mega PGM of 12-16.

While Palace look to lift out of the red, Man United will be aiming to reclaim 2nd place from Liverpool with a win at Selhurst Park. The last weeks have been a bit of a muddle for United, with losses against Tottenham and Newcastle in the league, alongside a Champions League draw against Sevilla, joined by snag-free progress in the FA Cup. Mourinho will be hoping, however that the 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the end of February has put a capper on the club’s recent wobbles.

That result also saw another goal for Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian steadily re-finding his feet in 2018. He now has 7 goals in 11 games this year and 13 goals in total this season, and sits at a Super Mega PGM of 36-42, ahead of Alexis Sanchez at 25-30 and the in-form Jesse Lingard at 18-22.

Last time the 2 sides met Mourinho’s men walked away with a hefty 4-0 win. They’ll be chasing something similar this time out, with Spreadex offering a Manchester United/Crystal Palace (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.1-1.3 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.55-2.75.