Manchester United remained unbeaten in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the weekend after a 0-0 draw with top of the table Liverpool at Old Trafford. Coming out of that game they have injury concerns, and bizarrely they had to make all of their three substitutes during the first half of the game, all due to injuries. Marcus Rashford played the full 90 minutes, but did not look comfortable at times during the second half and he would have to be a doubt alongside the three players that came off.

Having a team with so many injury worries is not normally a team you would want to be backing, but on Wednesday night they head down to the capital to take on Crystal Palace, and they are just simply too big to ignore. Taking the injuries to one side, United are on a great unbeaten run and they are heading away to face a team in the relegation battle, and when you look at it like that, seeing United as odds against is surprising.

Crystal Palace have been playing better in recent weeks, and right now they are heading in the right direction and away from the relegation zone. They are unbeaten in their last four games, with two wins and two draws, although three of those four games have been against teams in the bottom half of the table so they have not really been tested to the max.

That is something I am expecting United to do on Wednesday night, and even if they go into the game with three or four injuries to deal with, they have a strong squad and a battle with Arsenal and Chelsea for the final spot in the top four. Arsenal currently hold the advantage after the games over the weekend, they are one point ahead of United, while Chelsea have a game in hand but are two points off United and three off Arsenal. Those who really want to make the top four find a way to deal with injuries and when it comes to away games against clubs in the relegation zone, there is no room for error if you want to make it.

Has Ole Bagged the Permanent Manchester United Job?

We are only two months into the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reign at Manchester United, but he has really worked wonders at the club, and things are firmly on the up. One of the biggest strengths that he has in his favour is the fact that the fans love him, and they want him at the club. While he has to impress the board in order to get the job full time, he can also use the fans as a tool against them. There has been a lot of upset and unrest at the club over the past few years, and the board will risk all of that once again if they decide to go against the fans and bring in something else other than Solskjaer.

What Ole has done on the field has been very impressive and while many thought it was a bit of a fluke thanks to an easy schedule when he first joined, the same cannot be said now. Although they were completely outplayed by PSG in the Champions League, their domestic form has been very good, and two away wins at Arsenal and Chelsea have booked them a place in the FA Cup quarter finals, a competition they genuinely have a good chance of winning.

When he took over the club, in terms of their league position, there appeared to be little chance of them getting into the top four and qualifying for the Champions League, but now they are more than in the race. They are back out of the top four now, after Arsenal won yesterday while United could only draw, however they are just one point behind Arsenal, with 11 games left.

What Solskjaer has done on the field is probably enough to earn him the job full time. However, the key thing to add here is how much the fans have shown their love for Solskjaer, and how much they want him. Regardless of who is available on the market in the summer, and how the remainder of the season goes for the club, the board may not have any choice in the deal, and they may be backed into a corner by the fans.

That isn’t the intention in this situation, but the board will not want to risk another huge rift at the club, they will have see how positive and happy everyone is now and how the team has responded to that. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may do even more between now and the end of the season, and if that is the case then he will surely get the job. However, based on what we have seen already, the board may have trouble moving him out even if he doesn’t do anything else, because the fans have clearly nailed their colours to the mast, and it is the Norwegian man they want.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Betting Tips

A big game at both ends of the table and this is going to be a test for United, they go away from home with potential injury worries and they are playing against a team who are unbeaten in four league games and will have a bit of confidence.

However, despite all of that, I simply cannot ignore the price of Manchester United this week, and they have to be a bet based on that. When you strip things back, this is a top four challenger going up against a relegation fighter, and the gulf in class between these two is a big one.

Yes United may have a couple of players missing, but they cannot be ignored when playing Crystal Palace at this price. They have a good run going themselves, and squad belief if playing a huge part in that. They genuinely believe that they have a good squad and they believe they can win any game, and I’m backing them to do so on Wednesday night.

I think Crystal Palace will survive, and they have to be respected because they are playing well right now, but I am going to back Manchester United, because they simply cannot be ignored at this price.

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