Manchester United are gearing up for their penultimate game in Australia after an impressive start to their pre-season preparations, with victories over Liverpool and Melbourne Victory ensuring a perfect start for Erik ten Hag.
Crystal Palace is the next test awaiting Ten Hag’s men and the Dutchman is likely to stick with his strategy of fielding his first-team regulars from the first whistle.
This time, players are also likely to play for longer than just 45 minutes as the race to full match fitness ramps up. There are questions marks over whether David de Gea will be fit for the game but Ten Hag has confirmed that he, and Raphael Varane, are not harboring major injuries.
Read more: Anthony Martial admits he’s ‘really happy’ after impressive start to pre-season
They may not be risked, however. At full-back, Diogo Dalot is likely to keep his place and Luke Shaw will do the same. There could be a surprise in midfield.
In the first two games, Ten Hag has used a 4-2-3-1 and a typically characteristic 4-3-3. Zidane Iqbal has excelled in both systems and his impressive displays so far could earn him a start against Patrick Vieira’s side.
Fred or Scott McTominay will play alongside the 19-year-old and Bruno Fernandes will provide the creative spark behind the deadly trio of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
It’s highly likely that United will go into their Premier League curtain-raiser against Brighton with the trio spearheading their attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s future still up in the air.
Predicted Manchester United line-up: Heaton; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Fred, Iqbal, Fernandes; Sancho, Martial, Rashford
