FA CUP PREVIEW: HUDDERSFIELD V UNITED
Setting the scene... The Reds will look to bounce back from last weekend's disappointing defeat against Newcastle United by reaching the quarter finals of the Emirates FA Cup for the fourth year in a row. Saturday's clash will be our third meeting with Huddersfield in less than four months, and Jose Mourinho’s men hope to avenge the 2-1 defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium in October. It's the first of three matches in three different competitions for United, who will travel to Spain for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Sevilla next week before a key top-flight clash at home to Chelsea.
How can I watch it? Saturday's 17:30 GMT kick-off will be broadcast live on BT Sport in the UK. Subscribers to MUTV can watch build-up from 15:30 GMT on the Match Day show, and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full on Sunday at 12:00 GMT. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.
What’s the team news? With the Champions League trip in midweek in mind, the boss could be tempted to make changes but is still likely to field a strong team - as he has in the previous two rounds of the FA Cup against Derby County and Yeovil Town respectively. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly could return before the end of the month, and Marouane Fellaini is still recovering from knee surgery. Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera missed last Sunday's game at Newcastle last week through injury and the boss could give a further update on their progress - and his squad as a whole - in Friday's pre-match press conference.
Huddersfield's Tommy Smith could return from a head injury which kept him out of the weekend's 4-1 win over Bournemouth, but Chris Löwe and Laurent Depoitre are likely to miss out again through injury.
How have both sides reached this stage? Both teams will be facing Premier League opposition for the first time in the FA Cup this term. The Reds beat Championship side Derby County 2-0 at Old Trafford in round three, before easing past League Two outfit Yeovil Town with a 4-0 victory at Huish Park. Meanwhile, the Terriers have seen off two Championship sides but it hasn't been plain sailing. Following a 2-1 win at struggling Bolton in the third round, they needed extra-time in a replay to beat Birmingham City 4-1 at St Andrew's, after a 1-1 draw at home.
How have Huddersfield fared recently? David Wagner's men are in buoyant mood ahead of Saturday's game, after defeating Bournemouth 4-1 at home in their last outing. However, Huddersfield have endured a poor start to 2018 overall, and hadn't won in eight league games prior to their morale-boosting victory last weekend. The Terriers are currently 17th in the Premier League table, just outside the bottom three, and have averaged a point a game in their 27 league matches so far this season.
What happened last time? This weekend will be the second time the teams have met this month, after the Premier League game on 3 February. United ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford on an emotional day for the club, when the 60th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster was marked. Lukaku's well-taken volley and Alexis Sanchez's first goal for the club in the second half sealed three points.
What's our record like against them? Well, the Reds have won 21 of the previous 47 meetings against Huddersfield in all competitions. The Terriers have emerged victorious on 11 occasions, with the sides drawing 15 times. Prior to this season, United and Huddersfield had not met since 1972, when George Best and Ian Storey-Moore scored in a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.
A first for the Reds... Saturday's game will be the first in United history in which a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be employed. The new technology, which is currently on trial in selected games in English cup competitions, has caused a lot of debate among football fans. Jose Mourinho told MUTV earlier this week that he's in favour of the system and said: "If the referees are happy with that technological support, then yes, let’s go for the VAR. I think, from my perspective, I like the feeling."
Who's the referee? Kevin Friend will be the man in the middle, as the Leicestershire whistler handles his second United game of the season - and in the FA Cup - after taking charge of our 2-0 win over Derby in the third round. He will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Matthew Wilkes, with Anthony Taylor on fourth official duties. Neil Swarbrick has been appointed as the VAR and will be helped by assistant Andy Garratt.
Did you know? United once played an FA Cup fifth-round home tie at Huddersfield's old ground, Leeds Road. The game in 1948 couldn't be played at Old Trafford, which was still under repair from damages sustained in the war, and Manchester City, who United shared a ground with at the time, were drawn at home. The Reds won 2-0 against Charlton Athletic and went on to win the cup that year.
One to watch: Steve Mounie put in a Man-of-the-Match performance as Huddersfield overcame Bournemouth in their previous game. The Beninese striker scored two goals and provided an assist last time out, and was also on target as the Terriers beat Birmingham 4-1 in the previous round of the cup. Mounie seems to have overcome the injury problems which hampered him in the early part of the season and could be a real handful for the United defence.
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