United Beyond Manchester

I would have paid money to know the true thoughts of Sir Jim Ratcliffe during the match against Coventry City. United had a 3-0 lead, blew it in the second half, and escaped in penalties. Manchester United was outplayed at Wembley by a Championship side. There is no doubt that the new part-owner will have a lot of work to do this summer. In the meantime, can United respond with a result against Sheffield United?

Historical Highlight

The 1990 FA Cup was the trophy that saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job and set Manchester United on a path to dominate English football for the next 20 years. Before claiming that title, United faced Sheffield United in the Quarterfinal. Scottish midfielder Brian McClair scored a 45th-minute goal to give Ferguson’s side a 1-0 win. Despite a miserable league campaign, this FA Cup was enough for those in charge to give the United manager another chance. The rest is history.

Current Form

Manchester United’s form is continuing to spiral. Erik Ten Hag’s side required penalties to beat Championship side Coventry City in the FA Cup Semi-Final. They have also dropped points in four straight Premier League games. Outside of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and a couple of others, individual performances are horrible. United will play at home against the 20th-place team in Sheffield United on Wednesday, and yet there is no guarantee of a positive result.

Sheffield United’s last Premier League win came against Luton Town on February 10th. Despite their likely relegation campaign, they are not to be taken lightly. Chelsea found that out the hard way as Oli McBurnie scored a 93rd-minute leveler to earn a point earlier this month. No matter the form, a team fighting for survival is always dangerous.

Team News

Scott McTominay and Antony both returned against Coventry City. Unfortunately, it seems that both McTominay and Marcus Rashford picked up injuries toward the end of the match. Adding more players to the injury list will severely limit who Ten Hag has available on Wednesday. Willy Kambwala and Jonny Evans are also likely out.

Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, and Victor Lindelof will remain out until at least May with their long-term injuries. Anthony Martial and Tyrell Malacia are also out.

Sheffield United has Tom Davies, George Baldock, John Egan, Daniel Jebbison, Max Lowe, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Chris Basham all out. Jack Robison is unlikely to be available.

Predicted Starting XI

Goalkeeper: Andre Onana
Defenders: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Louis Jackson, Diogo Dalot
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes
Attackers: Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmjus Hojlund, Amad Diallo,

Match Prediction

With a rotated squad, Manchester United will leave it late and beat Sheffield United 2-1. Bruno Fernandes will continue his fine goalscoring form and provide United an early lead. Sheffield will hit back through Gustavo Hamer before the half to level. Amad Diallo will finally get more than fifteen minutes and start before scoring a late winner for the Reds. Despite a less than convincing performance, Manchester United will grab a first win since Liverpool in the FA Cup.

One Bold Prediction

Amad Diallo starts, and Louis Jackson makes his debut. Amad Diallo could finally be in line to grab a start, as Ten Hag may have lost Rashford and needs to rotate his squad on a quick turnaround. With Casemiro playing 120 minutes and looking completely worn by the end of the match against Coventry, Louis Jackson should get the nod from Ten Hag. Casemiro should not be risked from the start, with more important games upcoming and the FA Cup Final looming.

Drop your score predictions and lineups in the comments!