Oliver Glasner will have Marc Guehi available this weekend.placeholder image
Oliver Glasner will have Marc Guehi available this weekend. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday with Oliver Glasner confirming positive team news.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed that the substitution of Marc Guehi against Strasbourg in Europa Conference League action on Thursday night was not due to a recent injury ahead of the visit of Manchester United this weekend.
The England international returned from international duty over the break having failed to recover from a foot injury picked up in the meeting with AZ Alkmaar at the start of November. Guehi missed the 0-0 draw with Brighton before the break but managed a full 90 minutes as Glasner’s side beat Wolves last weekend.
The centre-back then started the Conference League meeting with Strasbourg but was hooked just after half-time with Chris Richards coming on. Speaking after the match, Glasner confirmed that was not an aggravation of the foot injury.
Oliver Glasner confirms reason behind Marc Guehi substitution
He told The Standard: “Marc was just planned before, because he couldn't train for two-and-a-half weeks, he had the 90 minutes last week [against Wolves], and of course he should play and he will play against Manchester United. That's why we had to manage the minutes, so no issues with Marc.”
That is, of course, a huge boost for Crystal Palace. Not only is Guehi the club captain and linchpin at the back, but he is widely regarded as one of the best centre-defenders in the Premier League.
It’s also a blow for Manchester United. The Red Devils travel to London looking to return to winning ways after falling to a 1-0 defeat against 10 men Everton on Monday night.
Ruben Amorim is without marquee summer signing Benjamin Sesko as he continues to recover from an injury picked up against Tottenham Hotspur. Last time out, he deployed Joshua Zirkzee and is likely to turn to the 24-year-old again at Selhurst Park.
If the striker was watching Crystal Palace on Thursday night, he’d likely have hoped that Guehi would miss out this weekend. Zirkzee is yet to score this season and could do without going up against one of the division’s best.
Crystal Palace star can keep Man Utd striker quiet
What’s more, Zirkzee has struggled against Guehi in the past. The forward started at Selhurst Park last season in a 0-0 draw but was toothless in a performance rated 5/10 by Goal. The outlet wrote: “Denied by Henderson from close-range in the first half. Some decent hold-up play but only managed one shot all game and was hooked on the hour.”
Amorim will be hopeful that Zirkzee manages more than one shot this time out but the presence of Guehi will certainly make that a challenge. The striker struggled against the Toffees with former Premier League striker Michael Owen admitting the player ‘doesn’t excite’ him at all. He said: "I can’t watch him and get excited, I must admit.
"Cunha missing today was a big blow. He [Zirkzee] was the closest to scoring for Man Utd but they are almost resorting to playing like this with hopeful crosses because he’s in there.
"If you have Cunha playing, a different profile of player, you probably don’t go knocking crosses in all game. It’s not how Manchester United want to play and I always think if you start lumping the ball it becomes desperation.
"One or two landed on Zirkzee’s head but the way Man Utd are playing prior to tonight, it’s not the right profile of player, he doesn’t excite me at all."
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