Manchester United take on Crystal Palace at Selhurt Park having avoided defeat for 17 successive head to head encounters.

United head into the clash in third place but a victory would take them ahead of second placed Liverpool.

The Red Devils would also ‘pretty much guarantee’ a top four finish with a victory according to Paul Merson.

The former Arsenal star feels United will win but not by a margin, by a 1-0 scoreline to be precise.

The football pundit revealed his prediction for the game and sees the Red Devils just edging it.

The Chelsea defeat to Manchester City yesterday could really play into United’s favor according to Merson.

So there you have it, United have rivals Manchester City to thank for nearly securing a top-four spot – they do of course still have to win the game.

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Merson wrote: “If the game goes as I expect at the Etihad Stadium then Manchester United won’t really be under too much pressure. However, if they can win at Selhurst Park and Chelsea lose then I think they can pretty much guarantee a top four finish. They’ll be nine points clear of Chelsea and for me, that’s that with nine games to play.

I expect United to be extremely efficient and can see them edging a tight game to cement a top four finish.”

One player hoping to prevent United continuing their dominance against Palace will be Erdal Rakip.

The midfielder of Turkish origin on loan from Benfica has yet to make his debut but with the injury crisis at Palace he may just end up getting a shot this time around.