Manchester United will be looking to avoid one of the biggest FA Cup giant killings in living memory when they head to Rodney Parade to take on Newport County this Sunday.
League Two side Newport County have a mountain to climb to beat Manchester United, but they could pull off a big upset if everything falls in place for them, though there’s still the possibility that the Red Devils could easily breeze past the Exiles, such is the gap in quality between the two sides.
Newport currently sit 14th in League Two and are one of the lowest-ranked sides left in the competition, while Manchester United sit eighth in the top flight of the English football pyramid, and the disparity in squad values is unsurprisingly massive.
However, there’s no doubt that the magic of the cup will be well and truly alive in this encounter. The Old Trafford giants have had their fair share of troubles in what has been a truly miserable season, and the FA Cup will be viewed as one of the only trophies they can win this term.
In the last round, they avoided a potential banana skin comfortably enough with a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic, but they will be in for a culture shock at Newport’s intimidating and overused Rodney Parade ground.
This is an opportunity for the club to go toe-to-toe with a big name and bag some vital financial rewards for their run in the competition so far. The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Newport County
Newport have no fresh injury concerns from their feisty clash against League Two high-flyers Wrexham on Saturday, where Liverpool loanee Adam Lewis was cleared to start after being forced off at halftime in the 3-1 defeat of Eastleigh.
Newport boss Graham Coughlan will still have to work without the services of 19-year-old defender Josh Seberry (fibula fracture) and Declan Drysdale (hamstring). Coughlan named an unchanged team against Wrexham last time out, and given they won 1-0 against their fellow Welsh side, he could name a similar starting eleven against United.
Striker Luke Jephcott could make his debut in front of home fans after arriving from St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership. Following spells at Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town, the Exiles’ latest star will hope to add to their attacking firepower.
Will Evans is the man that the minnows will be praying can fire them to FA Cup upset glory. The 26-year-old forward has already netted 17 goals this term for the play-off-chasing Exiles and will be looking to make the most of his limited service.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Townsend; McLoughlin, Delaney, Clarke, Bennett, Lewis; Morris, Charsley, Wildig; Palmer-Houlden, Evans
Manchester United
United’s injury situation has been quite bad all season, but things are starting to change for the better in the treatment room, it seems. Luke Shaw (unspecified) and Harry Maguire (groin) could make their respective returns against Newport, while there is a good chance that Lisandro Martinez could start this one after he came off the bench against Spurs.
Casemiro may also be included in the first XI, while Amad Diallo and Mason Mount could also be involved after his recovery. Anthony Martial will play no part as he is going to be out for ten weeks with a groin issue as will Tyrell Malacia (knee) and Victor Lindelof (groin). Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat are still away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford are illness doubts but should recover in time to make the trip. Altay Bayindır will make his first start for the club on Sunday evening after Erik ten Hag confirmed that he will cover for Onana in goal.
In front of him, Martinez may be back in the mix in order to regain match fitness. With Evans a doubt and Maguire and Victor Lindelof both only just returning to training, the chances are that Raphael Varane will partner the Argentine defender at the heart of central defence.
In attack, Rasmus Hojlund is now the only recognised striker in the squad and will start on Sunday, barring injury. On the flanks, Alejandro Garnacho will probably line up on the left, while Antony is set to be handed a chance to impress on the right wing.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bayindir; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot; Mainoo, Casemiro; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Key Stats
- This will be the first ever competitive encounter between Newport County and Manchester United.
- Newport have won just one of their last 23 meetings with top-flight opponents.
- Manchester United have advanced from 49 of their last 51 FA Cup ties against teams outside the top flight.
- Newport County have progressed from just two of their eight FA Cup fourth round ties.
- This will be United’s first fixture in Wales since the 2005 FA Cup final against Arsenal.
Player to Watch
Rasmus Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund has had his fair share of criticism since his £72 million move and has taken a long time to adjust, but he looks to be heading in the right direction now after two goals in his last three games.
He arguably produced his best display in the Premier League against Tottenham before the winter break, bagging a goal with a venomous strike before showing nice link-up play with Marcus Rashford for the second goal and playing some inviting passes forward on the break.
And the FA Cup is a great chance for him to keep that confidence up with a starring role against the League Two side.
Prediction
Newport County 0-2 Manchester United
The fact that the game will be played at Rodney Parade makes it a trickier contest for Manchester United, but they will be determined to go one better than they did last season and lift the FA Cup to give their fans something to cheer about.
Erik ten Hag’s side should have benefited from a 14-day rest, with some key players coming back from injury. The Dutch manager could deploy a fairly strong XI to avoid any nasty upsets that he really doesn’t need with his job already under pressure. It could be a tough watch, with the hosts’ and their excited fans wanting to push United all the way, but the visitors’ should still have enough quality to make it through.
