Eagles out to shock Red Devils

Crystal Palace face one of the hardest tests in European football, as they get set to take on Manchester United in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.

A win for the Championship side would be the biggest potential upset of the quarter-final draw but they come up against United side who thrive on these games, especially at Old Trafford.

Palace have exceeded many peoples’ expectations this season, as they sit just two points of the play-off places, having just escaped relegation on the final day of last term. Those placing a Carling Cup bet should remember this.

However results in recent weeks have been poor with a 3-0 and 2-0 defeat to Leicester City and Cardiff respectively in their last two outings.

Admittedly those were two games on the road but manager Dougie Freedman has raised the standards at Palace and they will be looking for improvements soon.

They will have to if they want to get anything against United who will be looking to use their squad for this game, with the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverley set to play a big role. Those following the football odds should bear this in mind.

The Red Devils also have the experience of Ryan Giggs to call upon and like he should in the Carling Cup victory over old rivals Leeds United, the Welshman can still dictate a game at will.

Palace have made great strides this season but based on current form and how United seem to wrestling teams into submission with 1-0 victories in recent weeks, it’s likely to be Ferguson and not Freedman who will be the happier of the two Scots come the final whistle on Wednesday.