Crystal Palace put up resilient display against Spurs before the international break but couldn’t get any points to show for their efforts as they were undone by a solitary goal from Juan Foyth.
The Eagles sit 16th in the Premier League with two wins from their first twelve games and Roy Hodgson’s men will be up against it when they face Manchester United away from home on Saturday.
United boss Jose Mourinho has a few injuries to contend with after the international break but the Red Devils will be the favourites to claim all three points against a struggling Palace unit.
Palace will be without the services of several of their key players with the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Mamadou Sakho all doubtful to feature due to injuries.
Scott Dann, Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke are long-term absentees and Roy Hodgson has plenty of chopping and changing to do to field a formidable unit on Saturday.
The Welshman made some good saves against Spurs in the last game and has always been a reliable presence between the sticks.
The injury to Wan-Bissaka should open the door for Ward to get a start.
He looked solid in the heart of the defence in the last game and has been consistent throughout the season.
The former Liverpool man should feature in the backline if Mamadou Sakho does not make it to the XI.
The Dutchman has been a lively presence down the left, contributing equally to both the defence and the attack.
The Senegalese international had a couple of impressive outings against Spurs and Arsenal in recent weeks and his strength and aerial ability are valuable assets to the Eagles.
Palace’s top scorer in the last season hasn’t quite found his mark with his set-pieces this term in the Premier League and he must step up his game against United.
He had a decent game last time around against Spurs but he must contribute more to the attack.
Max Meyer has largely underwhelmed so far and hence, Hodgson should hand the pacy Ghanaian a start.
He worked hard in the last game but his end product wasn’t great and Palace will need that to change if they are to have any chance of posting a challenge against United.
The Swansea loanee put in the hard yards and showed a lot of intent in the last game and will be expected him to find the net on Saturday.