- Crystal Palace U21 advanced after a 3-3 draw and penalty shoot-out win at Liverpool U21 and then beat Arsenal U21 2-0 at home, but they are a streaky team, having also just lost 2-0 at Nottingham Forest U21.
- Manchester United U21 beat Sunderland U21 3-2 to win their PL2 play-off round of 16 tie, but lost their final regular season league game 1-3 at Newcastle U21 and were knocked out of the Premier League International Cup by Real Madrid Castilla after extra time.
- Palace have won two of the last four meetings between the clubs, United one, with one draw (Palace’s last home win was a 3-2 thriller in August 2023).
Red Devils to take on Eagles in PL2 quarter-final
Manchester United U21 will face Crystal Palace U21 in a Premier League 2 quarter-final on Monday that will keep both clubs’ academy silverware hopes alive while also deciding which of these two clubs’ young players deserve to be given a chance at senior level.
Adam Lawrence’s Red Devils had the better of the league campaign, finishing second with 43 points from 20 games, to Palace’s 10th with 31. But their form coming into this cup clash has been mixed and their ability to convert league form into knockout success is questionable.
United were beaten by Real Madrid Castilla after extra time in their last international cup fixture and lost their last PL2 game 1 - 3 to Newcastle U21. Palace, by contrast, edged out Liverpool U21 in a 3 - 3 thriller at Anfield, winning the penalty shoot-out, and then beat Arsenal U21 2-0 at the weekend.
Darren Powell’s Eagles are a compact, disciplined team with a defence-first philosophy that sets up to counter-attack at pace through their wide players or take advantage of set-piece opportunities. Rio Cardines is a regular provider from corners and direct free kicks, as he proved when he scored one against Liverpool, but they look to be a little low on confidence after the Forest loss and Palace may need a goal from a set-piece or counter to get this one.
High-pressing United should edge close contest
Adam Lawrence, on the other hand, likes to let his young players press high up the pitch and take the game to the opposition. United play a good game of football, with lots of rotations, but always favour possession and play vertically or wide with numbers when they get it.
It has worked pretty well this season, but the results have been a little inconsistent and they have lacked the cutting edge at times in the cup competitions. The game probably won’t be won by United’s best player but by one of their forwards or wingers that can unlock the other team’s defence.
Shea Lacey is a lively winger who scored against Real Madrid Castilla and has been singled out in every match report written about the team this season. Chidozie Obi-Martin leads their line as a high-pressing forward and scored in their recent win over Sunderland in the PL2 play-offs.
Palace are a gritty cup team
But Palace have some good attacking players too, such as Craig Farquhar, whose late goals helped them force extra-time and penalties against Liverpool before Harry Lee made multiple saves in the shoot-out. Joseph Gibbard is another good attacker who has contributed regularly all season.
Palace should be able to get chances in the second half if United take an early lead and they can be a very dangerous team in transition. Their defence is not the best in the league, but they don’t give much away either and tend to be very disciplined in their back four.
The bookmakers have United as favourites at 21/20, while Palace are 181/100 and the draw 72/25. United have finished higher in the league and have more depth in attack, so should get the better of this clash, but Palace are a very gritty cup side and it may be too close to back United for an away win.
The weather patterns of the past month suggest the pitch at the training ground could be slick for this clash, which should favour a more direct game than usual for Palace and increase the importance of set pieces and transitions. Over 2.5 goals is 7/20, which is very short for a game of this calibre in which both teams will look to play their game, so it is a market to avoid.
