Manchester United travel to south London on Wednesday night, where a win against Crystal Palace would move Erik ten Hag's side to second in the Premier League.
Late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford saw United come from a goal behind to beat Man City 2-1 in a thrilling Manchester derby. The win was more than just bragging rights as well, with Ten Hag's side now just one point behind City in second and nine points behind Arsenal in first.
United last faced the Eagles competitively in the final game of the 2021/22 season, with Wilfred Zaha scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win for Patrick Vieira's side. A win for United against Palace would be the perfect boost for United before their clash with Arsenal, though Anthony Martial is set to miss out after being pulled off at half-time against City through injury.
READ MORE: Weghorst in contention for debut amid Martial injury doubt
So, could United jump to second in the table on Wednesday evening? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Crystal Palace vs Man United to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fernandes, Eriksen; Antony, Rashford, Garnacho.
We predict that Palace could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Guaita; Clyne, Tomkins, Guehi, Mitchell; Doucoure, Schlupp; Ayew, Olise, Eze; Zaha.
United started the stronger side, but they suffered a blow just four minutes in when Casemiro was shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Jeffrey Schlupp, meaning the Brazilian would miss the clash with Arsenal. The booking didn't impact the midfielder's game though, with Casemiro setting up Rashford to open the scoring.
After intercepting Wilfred Zaha's flick in midfield, Casemiro fizzed a pass forward for Rashford. As the striker picked up possession he did well to hold off Marc Guehi, roll the ball through the legs of James Tomkins and rifle a powerful strike across goal and into the far corner.
The goal came just six minutes in, but Ten Hag was dealt an even bigger blow when Casemiro pulled down Zaha on the break, earning himself a second yellow card as United were reduced to 10 men. The red card excited Palace who started to throw bodies forward, but a mistake at the back from Palace saw United double their lead after 18 minutes.
As Palace tried to play out the back, Alejandro Garnacho's high press saw the winger dispossess Nathaniel Clyne on the edge of the box before slipping a pass through to Eriksen. After one touch out of his feet, the midfielder took aim from distance, firing past the 'keeper and into the net.
The extra man didn't seem to play into Palace's hands one bit, with United controlling every aspect of the game with momentum on their side. Palace struggled to exit their half, and Ten Hag's side made it 3-0 in the 44th minute as Rashford bagged his second of the game.
Fernandes did well to turn past his marker in the centre of the pitch before exchanging passes with Garnacho and entering the box. On his weak foot, he opted to pull the ball back to Rashford, and in a similar position to his opening goal he produced the same result, firing across goal and into the net.
With a healthy lead, United sat back in the second half as Palace had more of the chances, but some terrific goalkeeping from David De Gea kept United's clean sheet intact as they won 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester United
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that despite going down to 10 men, United could produce a fantastic performance in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. Marcus Rashford could continue his fine goalscoring form, but with Arsenal up next, Casemiro's absence will be a blow for Ten Hag's side if he was to pick up a suspension.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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