Manchester United stayed in Melbourne, Australia, after their 4-1 win over local side Victory and will face Crystal Palace in their second of two matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Patrick Vieira’s Palace will be the second Premier League side that United have had to face in pre-season after the 4-0 dispatching of Liverpool in last week’s opener in Bangkok, Thailand.
United will be looking to keep their impressive start going after playing some exciting football in the previous two fixtures.
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It is likely that the club will debut their away kit which was released on Saturday morning.
When and Where?
The Reds are nice and cosy in Melbourne ahead of their second game in the Australian city. United were received very well in their win over Victory on Friday and will have the bulk of support at the MCG again against Palace on Tuesday.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 11:10 BST and the broadcast is exclusive to MUTV. Full international kick off times can be viewed here.
Expected changes in the squad?
Ten Hag has been able to get a look or two at most of his squad already over the first 180 minutes of pre-season football. After using 22 players in the first game, he used a few more new faces against Victory.
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On Friday, Harry Maguire, Ethan Laird, and Tahith Chong registered their first minutes of the tour, taking the number of players featured to 25. A few more pre-season debuts could follow against Palace.
Hannibal, Alejandro Garnacho, and James Garner are still among those who have not yet been called upon by Ten Hag — for various reasons.
In the first two fixtures, Ten Hag gave all players 45 minutes each — meaning Palace could be the first opportunity for some to get closer to the hour mark as the preparation for the Premier League ramps up.
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With that, you would figure the Dutch manager’s rotation of players could get tighter. However, he will certainly want to give the three youngsters mentioned above a chance to impress in some capacity nonetheless.
United will once again be without the absent Cristiano Ronaldo for this one, with speculation about the No. 7’s exit from the club intensifying. The game will also come too soon for new signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
The Danish playmaker is reportedly going to wait for United to return home before linking up with his new teammates. Martinez could join up with the Reds in Perth for their clash against Aston Villa, provided the required paperwork gets sorted out in time.
What has Ten Hag said?
The United boss spoke to MUTV after the win against Victory and seemed cautiously pleased with his team’s performance despite being the complete opposite after going behind in the opening minutes.
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“[They’re] a really compact opponent, they started really [far] back waiting for us so it was really difficult to create chances," Ten Hag said after Friday’s game.
"Also if you get down in the first minute, something is also wrong. But I think that the team reacted really good, especially down the right side.
"We created a lot; I think we created three or four really good chances already before half-time and we get our reward when we turned [it] around."
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Ten Hag also spoke about his plans for the group of talented youth players who joined the established seniors on the tour. The 52-year-old is keen to give them all a chance to stake a claim for first-team birth.
“I want to have an impression from all the players,” the Dutchman said. “And they get a chance to show what they can [do] and what they’re capable of, if they can contribute to Manchester United or maybe if a loan period is better.
"There is also other possibilities, but it is good that United has some talents but also you see that you need improvement and development.”
Ones to Watch
After a slightly underwhelming debut season at the club, Jadon Sancho has looked like a man on a mission in the first two pre-season games. A chip has evidently been placed on the winger’s shoulder and his actions show that he intends to prove a point or two in the upcoming campaign.
The 22-year-old was excellent against Liverpool and Victory, operating off the right hand side, dazzling with skills, and terrorizing whoever decided to step in his way. Sancho played most of last season on the left, but Ten Hag looks to prefer the attacker on the opposite wing.
The former Borussia Dortmund man is comfortable on either side, but United’s initial interest in Sancho was because he was thought of as a world class alternative to United’s predictable preference of attacking down the left.
Ten Hag has also already mentioned his desire for United to be unpredictable in attack and Sancho on the right certainly gives the Reds that reliable outlet they’ve been needing.
Another player worth keeping an eye out for is young Zidane Iqbal. Composed beyond his years, the midfielder has impressed en masse over the first two games and it will be interesting to see whether Ten Hag continues to reward the academy graduate with more minutes as the start of the season gets closer.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Crystal Palace, Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Football
Arion Armeniakos