da betobet： We’ve already witnessed a number of fantastic matches in the Premier League this season but the fixture makes are refusing to disappoint, conjuring up yet another round of exciting, unpredictable and hopefully entertaining encounters for the coming weekend.
da supremo： Indeed, in a game that could well decide Jose Mourinho’s employment status come Monday morning, Liverpool visit Chelsea at 12.45pm on Saturday whilst Swansea City welcome Arsenal to the Liberty Stadium.
But Crystal Palace’s 3pm clash with Manchester United particularly stands out. The Red Devils have enjoyed strong form this term, picking up 20 points from their first ten games, but the Eagles are always a tough side to play against, combining defensive grit and organisation with blistering pace on the counter-attack.
There’s only three positions separating both sides in the Premier League table so it looks set to be a particularly close affair down at Selhurst Park.
Therefore, the result could well depend on who dominates the key individual battles and with that in mind, Football FanCast have listed the FIVE we view as the most important…
WAYNE ROONEY VS SCOTT DANN
Everybody’s had their say in the Wayne Rooney debate over the last few days, ranging from former team-mate Paul Scholes to Barcelona legend Xavi, but Louis van Gaal seems determined to continue utilising the Manchester United skipper at the tip of his attack for the time being.
No doubt, however, the England captain is desperately struggling for form at the moment. He’s managed just two goals in nine Premier League appearances this season and only 18 attempts at goal. To put that into perspective, Sergio Aguero has had 33 attempts at goal, scoring six.
And things could get tougher for Rooney against Crystal Palace. Centre-back Scott Dann has emerged as one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League outside of the top four since signing for Palace in January 2014, last term picking up the Player of the Year award at Selhurst Park.
After conceding nine in his last three appearances, the 28 year-old will be determined to record a clean sheet against the Red Devils. That being said, Rooney will be equally determined to silence his critics after missing in a penalty shootout against Middlesbrough in midweek.
WILFRIED ZAHA VS MARCOS ROJO
In truth, any of Crystal Palace’s three flying forwards – Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako – could find themselves lined up on the right wing this Saturday. Palace manager Alan Pardew has a tendency to rotate between them.
But Zaha has found himself most commonly deployed on that flank this season, featuring in all of the Eagles’ ten Premier League fixtures so far, and something tells me Pardew will be keen to harness the 22 year-old’s angst towards the Red Devils following his rather miserable twelve months at Old Trafford.
Especially considering he’ll likely be up against Marcos Rojo – a versatile defender yet one not quite quick enough to be considered a full-back or powerful enough to be considered a centre-back exclusively.
Perhaps that’s doing the Argentina international a disservice, considering he’s performed well during his three outings at left-back since returning to fitness earlier this month.
But laden with abundant trickery and pace, Zaha has the potential to cause real damage if he gets the beating of Rojo around the outside.
JUAN MATA VS MARTIN KELLY
With Joel Ward and Pape Soaure both injured, Crystal Palace are facing a bit of selection crisis in the full-back department. After getting the nod in a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City last weekend, logic suggests Martin Kelly will once again find himself in that role on Saturday.
In Manchester United’s Juan Mata, however, he faces one of the classiest midfielders in the Premier League and arguably the Red Devils’ best performer this season, picking up three goals and three assists in 10 Premier League appearances.
The Spaniard doesn’t have the speed to test space in behind defenders but certainly the guile to jink around them and pull them out of position. His 1.9 created chances per match is the best return throughout the United squad, so keeping the 27 year-old in check will be crucial to stopping the visitors making scoring opportunities on Saturday.
That being said, it’s no secret Mata likes to drift inside and link up with the central midfielders. So nullifying his creative threat will be as much a task for the likes of James McArthur and Joe Ledley as it will for Kelly.
YOHAN CABAYE VS ANDER HERRERA
A key battle that might not even happen for two predominant reasons. Firstly, Yohan Cabaye is a serious doubt for Saturday after missing out this week’s Capital One Cup action with a knock and secondly, Louis van Gaal seems inexplicably reluctant to start Ander Herrera despite the Spaniard bagging two goals and one assist in just six appearances this season.
But Herrera performs the dual role at the tip of midfield incredibly well, occasionally making runs beyond Wayne Rooney whilst always offering defensive protection in front of their midfield two, and would certainly be my choice to start on Saturday.
Should he pass a late fitness test, that would put the Spaniard up against likeminded playmaker Yohan Cabaye – unquestionably one of the Premier League’s biggest coups of the summer after arriving at Selhurst Park for £10million.
The France international has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Eagles this season, claiming four goals and one assist in ten appearances whilst averaging 1.2 created chances, 3.7 tackles and 3.7 interceptions per match.
Both midfielders share that mix of creativity, culture and tenacity – so if they both start it should be a real toe-to-toe encounter.
DWIGHT GAYLE/FRAIZER CAMPBELL VS CHRIS SMALLING
The centre-forward slot represents a bit of a selection dilemma for Alan Pardew, with old-school No.9s Marouane Chamakh and Connor Wickham both absent through injury.
Logic suggests he’ll call upon Dwight Gayle to lead the attack, having done so against Leicester City last weekend, but he may opt for the experience of former Red Devil Fraizer Campbell – another player who would like to settle a few scores with his former club.
Both strikers offer similar kinds of threat – predominantly, the pace to test the space in behind and the work-rate to persistently run the channels.
That being said, getting past Manchester United’s Chris Smalling is proving to be one of the toughest asks in the Premier League at the moment. The England international has improved immeasurably since the start of last season and has played every minute of the Red Devils’ league campaign thus far, helping them record six clean sheets from ten outings.
Palace’s striker – be it Gayle or Campbell – might find a little more luck against Phil Jones. The England international has played well in recent weeks but is still getting back up to speed after returning from injury in late September.