Every time Palace come forward, they don't have a striker. Bakary Sako is their frontman, but he seems to be dropping wide/deep with Yohan Cabaye the furthest man forward half the time they play the ball forward.

Marcus Rashford gets the ball on the edge of the box and pulls it back to Nemanja Matic, who fires well over the bar from 20 yards.

Some quick movement from Manchester United to get into the box, it slightly slows down when it reaches Marouane Fellaini. He gets the ball to Juan Mata, but the goalscorer is crowded out by three Palace defenders.

Joel Ward is caught by Ashley Young as he puts in a cross. Referee Mike Dean has a chat to Young but doesn't book him. Slightly lucky really.

Mamadou Sakho heads Yohan Cabaye's free-kick over the bar.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

A throng of autograph hunters and iPhone photographers around the Old Trafford directors' box suggested someone unusual was at today's game.

Turned out to be former Manchester United midfielder and England captain David Beckham.

'Becks' had no sooner taken his seat than he had to get out of it to let someone past, then after sitting down again, he was up seconds later to applaud Juan Mata's opener.

Chris Waddle
Ex-Spurs and England winger on 5 live Sport

Roy Hodgson was slouched over the wall after that goal. He must be thinking 'here we go again'. Whatever your system, when you get the ball you have to play. Palace are organised but they don't play when they get it.

Manchester United have had most of the ball so far but mostly along their backline. Crystal Palace have had a handful of touches.

A reminder of the teams as the game gets under way at Old Trafford.

Man Utd: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Young, Matic, Fellaini, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford, Lukaku. Subs: Bailly, Martial, Lingard, Blind, Romero, Ander Herrera, Darmian.

Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Sakho, Delaney, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Townsend, Puncheon, Schlupp, Sako. Subs: Speroni, Lee, McArthur, Ladapo, Mutch, Kelly, Riedewald.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

Teams are out on the pitch. It will be interesting to see if United start slowly, having only arrived in Manchester from Moscow at 4am on Thursday.

Crystal Palace are the first team ever to lose their first six league games without scoring. And I'm not talking in the 'football started in 1992' Premier League sense. This record applies for the entire English Football League and goes back to 1888.

Image source, .

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: "There's never a good time to play Manchester United. We are here to play against the big teams and I guess Jose will say it is not ideal to be playing on a Saturday after travelling back from Russia, but they have a strong squad."

There was Roy. When David Moyes was in charge...

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Sir Alex Ferguson made an appearance in the Old Trafford news conference room before today's game.

He was making a presentation to Stuart Mathieson, who is about to cover his final match after 22 years as United correspondent for the Manchester Evening News.

It is a testament to the esteem the job is held that only Stuart and predecessor David Meek, have done it since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, EPA

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba's hamstring injury will keep him out "long term", says manager Jose Mourinho.

The 24-year-old France playmaker limped off 19 minutes into the Reds' Champions League win over Basel and he has missed United's past four games.

It was initially thought Pogba would be out for between a month and six weeks following the injury on 12 September.

Mourinho would not however give a specific timescale on his return.

Image source, .

Romelu Lukaku has banged in 10 goals in nine games for Manchester United since his £75m move from Everton in the summer.

He has only failed to net in one of those games so far.

Throw his Belgium stats into the mix, and he's scored 14 goals in 11 matches this season.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Pointless and goalless, Crystal Palace have an abysmal recent record at Old Trafford, losing 10 league games on the trot and scoring only twice - in the same game - at Manchester United.

Their last league win here was a very famous one though.

The 2-1 triumph in December 1989 was prompted the infamous Ta'ra Fergie banner as United fans' discontent with their Scottish manager drew.

History shows not acting on that advice was one of United's better executive decisions.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 live

Our live commentary at 15:00 BST this afternoon comes from Old Trafford - join Ian Dennis and Chris Waddle for the full package.

Guy Mowbray
Match of the Day commentator

Manchester United have travelled to Moscow and back this week, but they'd still be expected to beat Palace if they had been to the moon.

By how many doesn't matter. With Chelsea playing Manchester City and one or both to drop points, all Jose Mourinho will worry about is winning.

There are, of course, a multitude of things to concern Roy Hodgson.

Would just scoring a goal and a narrow defeat represent progress for Palace? Possibly, but hard to gauge against a team that may be Europe-weary.

All that matters are points - and patience until they get some. It may be a little while longer yet.

Mark Lawrenson
BBC Sport pundit

Image source, #bbcfootball

Manchester United are flying at the moment, especially striker Romelu Lukaku, who just keeps on scoring.

Roy Hodgson will have had another week to work with his Palace players on denying the opposition space, but I don't see them keeping United and Lukaku out.

Prediction: 3-0

Lawro's full predictions v Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett

Play our Premier League Predictor now

Image source, #bbcfootball

Manchester United make five changes from Wednesday's 4-1 win at CSKA Moscow. Marcus Rashford replaces Anthony Martial, with Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia taking the places of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof at the back. Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata are in for Ander Herrera and Daley Blind.

Image source, #bbcfootball

Headline team news for Crystal Palace is Christian Benteke is out for six weeks with a knee injury. With a shortage of strikers, winger Bakary Sako starts up front. They make three other changes from the side who lost 5-0 to Manchester City a week ago.

Joel Ward, Damien Delaney and Jason Puncheon come in. Timothy Fosu-Mensah drops out, as he's ineligible, with Scott Dann and the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek also making way.