Manchester United
Manchester United’s four-year trophy drought has been a source of frustration for fans and the club, and new manager Erik ten Hag is determined to end it in his first season. A victory at the City Ground on Wednesday has put the team on track to reach the League Cup Final at Wembley next month, but Ten Hag is also focused on continuing to progress in all other competitions the club is participating in.
While Manchester United’s chances of catching up in the Premier League title race have likely diminished after losing five points in recent League games, the team is still in a strong position at the end of January. They are still competing in all three Cup competitions and are considered one of the front-runners for a top-four finish. However, the team may be disappointed not to reach the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, considering the favorable draw they received.
Last season, Manchester United were eliminated in the Fourth Round by a second-tier club at Old Trafford, but this season they have a 10-game winning streak at the stadium in all competitions. They have already defeated Everton in the FA Cup at home, and have also won against Burnley and Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford in domestic Cup competitions this season.
With a demanding schedule ahead and a packed February, manager Erik ten Hag plans to rotate his squad for the upcoming Cup matches. Goalkeepers Jack Butland or Tom Heaton may start, while players such as Harry Maguire, Fred, Scott McTominay, and Alejandro Garnacho will be hoping for opportunities to play. Diogo Dalot, Jadon Sancho, and Anthony Martial are uncertain to play due to injury or illness, and Luke Shaw may not be included as a precaution before the next Premier League match.
Reading
After being away from management for a while, Paul Ince was appointed to the difficult task of keeping Reading from being relegated last season. To the surprise of many, Ince successfully kept the club out of the bottom three and this season, despite financial constraints, the club has been able to improve on that, despite the financial constraints that have limited the manager’s options.
Although Reading has a comfortable lead over the bottom three, the team’s work is not over yet. However, this match against a top Premier League club gives the players an opportunity to relish playing on a big stage. Winning the FA Cup would be a huge upset, but Reading will not go down without a fight, even though they have only won 1 of their last 10 away matches in this competition.
Reading has won only 1 of their last 5 games across all competitions and that victory came in the FA Cup Third Round against another Championship team, Watford. They did not prepare well for this challenging trip to the North West, losing 4-0 to Stoke City last weekend and having lost 3 of their last 4 away games.
TWV Sport Team Thoughts
For the manager, this competition is significant as he strives to elevate the standards at Old Trafford by treating every match with equal importance. The team’s depth may not be sufficient for competing on four fronts, but Pep Guardiola has accomplished this at Manchester City and Ten Hag will be expecting his team to advance in this match.
The manager will make changes and provide some of the squad players with an opportunity, as Manchester United is heavily favored to win this match. They cannot assume a victory, but Reading is currently not in top form and recently suffered a 4-0 defeat at Stoke City.
Paul Ince, a former Manchester United player, may not receive the warm welcome that many former players typically receive at Old Trafford. He will be reminding his Reading players that they have nothing to lose, but the gap between the two clubs is significant, and Reading has lost three FA Cup matches at Old Trafford in the last decade.
The home team has been very solid defensively during the winning streak and has defeated lower league opponents Burnley and Charlton Athletic in the League Cup without conceding a goal. Even with expected changes to the defensive lineup, Manchester United should be able to effectively neutralize the visitors’ threat and progress to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup with a win and a clean sheet.
Score Prediction
Manchester United 4 – 1 Reading
