Manchester United have made great progress under Erik ten Hag and suddenly there are rising hopes that the Old Trafford outfit can actually bag a piece of silverware this season. However, these hopes could receive a severe blow thanks to one of their Premier League games being rescheduled.
Manchester United were supposed to head to Selhurst Park back in September but that game was postponed as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. Now, in a really late announcement, the Premier League have announced that this particular game will now take place on the 18th of January.
This reshuffle means Man United will now have to play four games in just 12 days.
On Tuesday, they take on Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup and then on Saturday they play in the Manchester derby. After this game, United were originally slated to face Arsenal on the 22nd of Jan but thanks to the fixture reschedule, they will now have to face Crystal Palace on the 18th of January.
The Premier League authorities made this announcement on Sunday which is why they have had to apologise to Manchester United for the delay.
Their statement read: “After the results of this weekend’s FA Cup third-round ties, a new date for the postponed Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park can now be confirmed.
“The Palace v Man Utd match will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 8 pm GMT kick-off. The Premier League apologises for the late notice in confirming this fixture and understands supporters’ frustrations.
“While the League endeavours to give greater notice for rescheduling, the unique circumstances around these fixtures mean we were unable to.”
The next two weeks will be make-or-break for Manchester United because if they can come out of this with minimum harm then they will surely be one of the favourites to finish in the top four.
Ten Hag’s side should be able to beat Charlton quite easily but it’s the three Premier League games which will have the manager worried. Currently, United have played one game less than Newcastle and Spurs so if they manage to win two out of their next three matches then it will be a job well done.
A mid-season World Cup meant every team had a congested fixture table but it looks like Manchester United have been dealt the worst hand in this round.
Arsenal are the current league leaders and this season they have lost only a single league game and that was against Manchester United back in September. However, Man United have not been able to beat Manchester City in their previous three meetings, scoring four and conceding as many as 12.
As far as the Palace game is concerned, it will be a throw of the dice because the Eagles generally play a good brand of football under Vieira but they have lost three out of their last five matches.
Honestly speaking, we don’t think United stand a chance against Man City but beating Palace and Arsenal are realistic possibilities. Six points out of a possible nine will be a great result for Ten Hag and his boys.
