Can Crystal Palace replicate their trophy-winning form? Their recent struggles and key player dynamics present a unique challenge for Manchester United.
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester United returns to action with a home game against Crystal Palace for gameweek 28 of the Premier League season.
What can we expect
The 25/26 season promised to be very exciting for Palace. They were coming off the back of an unbeaten run at the end of the 24/25 season, culminating in the club's first-ever trophy, as they defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
They continued where they left off in that regard, beating Liverpool in the Community Shield on penalties, after a 2-2 draw. Sure, it is not the most prestigious piece of silverware, but it felt quite big for Palace.
From there, it was actually a good start to the season for Oliver Glasner's side. They continued their unbeaten run until 19 games, beating Liverpool 2-1 along the way. Then, in early October, they lost 2-1 to Everton, ending the streak.
That was not the end of things, however, as Palace beat Fulham 2-1 in early December to go up to 4th in the Premier League. But, things have not quite been the same since then.
Indeed not, as the South London outfit have only won four of their 18 games since. This includes two wins in the UEFA Conference League and against bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In January, they failed to defend their FA Cup crown, as they were defeated 2-1 by National League North side Macclesfield FC, in statistically the biggest FA Cup shock of all time. Days later, captain Marc Guehi was sold to Manchester City.
Earlier this month, they were 2-0 up at home to relegation-bound Burnley, with five minutes to go until half-time, yet inexplicably found themselves losing at half-time and at full-time.
Other than that game, though, things have looked a little better of late. The previous game saw them win 1-0 away to rivals Brighton and Hove Albion. They then beat Wolves, securing a 3-1 aggregate win over Bosnian side Zrinjski in the Conference League.
The Conference League tie could help United. Palace basically went full strength in both games, including on Thursday evening, whilst Michael Carrick's side has had the week off. That should be to their benefit on Sunday.
In terms of dangermen, the Reds have consistently been linked to midfielder Adam Wharton. The 21-year-old has his issues off the ball but is a very good passer and has created 9 big chances in the Premier League this season, despite playing in a deep role, more than any United player aside from Bruno Fernandes.
On the right-hand side of the narrow front three, Ismaila Sarr is a constant threat with his pace, and could target getting in behind Luke Shaw, with Wharton perhaps providing the pass in behind.
Having started last night, the Senegalese international could be rotated for this game. If he is, he could be replaced by Brennan Johnson, who will give all United fans some serious PTSD.
The Old Trafford faithful will need no introduction to the Palace goalkeeper, with Carrington graduate Dean Henderson being one of their most important players. His name will be in club folklore forever after his penalty save in last season's FA Cup final.
Given that United will be much fresher going into this game, and the form of both sides in 2026 generally, there really should be no excuses to not pick up all three points in this one, but let's see.