Predicted lineups, team news and FA Cup score prediction
The fourth round of the FA Cup kicks off on February 7, with Leicester City traveling to Old Trafford to face a wobbling Man U.
Manchester United, the current holders of the FA Cup, will be hoping to repeat their performance in last year’s iteration of the competition, particularly because their place in Europe next year could depend on it.
In order to do so, however, they’ll need to find their footing in nearly all areas of the pitch. Starting at the back — goalkeeper André Onana is at once capable of pulling off acrobatic stops and liable to blunder the ball into the back of his own net. The loss of Lisandro MartÃnez — with what appears to be a season-ending ACL injury — last weekend in the league match against Crystal Palace is a massive blow to a United defensive line already under duress.
In the middle of the park, only Bruno Fernandes has offered real consistent quality, augmented at times by some great performances from Amad Diallo. Up top, it’s evident that Ruben Amorim doesn’t have a wealth of faith in his attacking options, evidenced by his decision to play Kobbie Mainoo as a false-9 in the loss against Palace.
All of that is to say, United have a lot of work to do in their efforts to rebuild the club. But the FA Cup gave them a moment of joy — and a large piece of silverware — last season. Impressively, the achievement required them to beat both Liverpool and Manchester City.
