(Football news) Manchester United are set to welcome Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Friday night, hoping to progress into the 5th round of the FA Cup. The Red Devils narrowly defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the previous round while Middlesbrough defeated League 2 side Mansfield Town 3-2. Ralf Rangnick’s team have won three of their last four matches across all competitions and will be heavy favourites in this fixture. The club have won 12 FA Cup titles in their history, being the second most successful team in England in the competition and will be facing Middlesbrough for the first time since 2017.
The visitors have won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions with just one defeat in the process. Despite being the underdogs, Chris Wilder’s side will be confident of getting a result and will hope to reach the fifth round at Manchester United’s expense. Their new signing Riley McGree will be unavailable for selection, having tested positive for COVID-19 while on international duty while Sammy Ameobi, Darnell Fisher and Marc Bola remain on the sidelines. James Lea Siliki is still on international duty but on-loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is expected to make his first start for Boro alongside Andraz Sporar.
As for Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that Paul Pogba is back in the squad and could even be featured in the starting XI. Luke Shaw is also likely to feature at left back as Alex Telles was away on international duty while Edinson Cavani will not be available for selection, having asked for an extension of his break after representing Uruguay in the South American qualifiers. Aaron Wan Bissaka should be available after recovering from sickness while Mason Greenwood is suspended for an indefinite amount of time following recent events. Rangnick has confirmed that Victor Lindelof (illness) and Eric Bailly (ankle injury) will be unavailable for selection.
Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Nemanja Matic and Anthony Elanga are the likely candidates to feature in the starting lineup alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and David De Gea. Rangnick has also confirmed that Hannibal Mejbri could also feature in some capacity while Paul Pogba will make his long-awaited return to the squad. The Red Devils can take solace in the fact that Middlesbrough has not defeated Manchester United since 2005 and Rangnick will be keen to set up the strongest possible side as the FA Cup is the only realistic opportunity to win a trophy this season. It’s expected that the hosts will secure a win in this fixture and progress to the fifth round despite Middlesbrough being a tricky opposition.
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