Wary Crystal Palace won’t be on the end of a Man Utd backlash

After two poor showings against sides of similar stature, Manchester United will be desperate for the international hiatus to conclude so they can take out their frustrations on Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils have been characteristically merciless against the newly promoted factions in the past two campaigns, collecting 11 wins from 12 against those fresh from climbing clear of the Championship.

So, having failed to score against either Liverpool or Chelsea, United will be baying for blood against Palace and it’s no surprise to see them as microscopically short as 1/5 to collect three much-needed points in this fixture.

Still, the anticipated battering that many will be envisaging for the Eagles as they head to Old Trafford may not come about given the enormous pressure that the hosts are under to get the job done.

Sitting five points behind the leaders after three games isn’t ideal and while this gap remains bridgeable, it’s hard to imagine confidence brimming in the United camp after such an underwhelming start.

This suggests that a rout isn’t on the cards and it’s supported by their performances against the promoted clubs last term.

These six matches saw United focus solely on getting over the line as opposed to scoring hatfuls of goals. Of the five league matches they won against the trio of Reading, Southampton and West Ham, all of them were by a margin of one goal.

They scored goals inside 10 minutes in two of their three home victories over those advancing from the second tier last time around too, yet the deficit at the final whistle was never greater than the solitary strike.

So even if the Premier League champions notch in the opening 10 minutes here, an eventuality that’s available to back at 3/1 with Ladbrokes, this shouldn’t be a cue to get carried away in support of a mauling.

Stick to a home win by a margin of one in this clash, which pays out at a princely 10/3.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date

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