Manchester United could breathe a little sigh of relief on Tuesday thanks to a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup.
The victory, which came just a couple of days after the Red Devils eked by Burnley, 1-0, was not unexpected, but it was an important step in the right direction for the club after a really concerning start to the season.
Is everything finally getting on track for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United?
Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace pick
(10 a.m. ET. Satuday, USA Network)
Manchester United is 3-0-3 (W-D-L) in six matches in the Premier League, but it’s important to put those results in context.
The three wins came against Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Burnley, three teams that were priced among the favorites to be relegated this season.
And those performances were far from impressive, too.
Wolverhampton were very unlucky not to have beaten United in their season-opener, Forest were up 2-0 before folding in a 3-2 defeat and Burnley deserved better from a 1-0 loss.
Manchester United have a +1.5 expected goal difference in their three victories and that’s because they ended up with a 2.8 to 1.2 advantage against Nottingham Forest in a game that they were chasing from the opening whistle.
Had a couple of calls or bounces gone against United in any of these matches we could be talking about a team with one win on the season after six matches.
As for Palace, they remain a steady outfit that seems comfortable playing low-event matches and hoping to grind out results no matter the opposition.
That style of play doesn’t make Palace a great team to back as a favorite, but in a spot like this the Eagles hold plenty of value, especially because their pragmatic approach does not jive with the way that United wants to play.
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Ten Hag wants his team to be a threat in transition and pounce on opportunities when the opponent turns the ball over, but Palace isn’t going to be pressing to get on the ball, and that should slow things down, which is the last thing United wants.
A couple of wins, including one over Palace in the EFL Cup, have quieted the fervor around Old Trafford but this is a great spot to bet Palace to pull the upset.
Not only is this United’s fifth match in two weeks, but the Red Devils also have a must-win Champions League match against Galatasaray on Tuesday.
The Bet: Crystal Palace (+500, BetMGM)
