Manchester United kick off their 2023/24 FA Cup campaign on Monday night when they travel to third-tier Wigan Athletic in the third round.
A fixture rife with noughties nostalgia, it will be the first meeting between these two sides for seven years. The last time they clashed came in the FA Cup back in 2017, a game Man Utd won 4-0 at Old Trafford in one of football’s more tame rivalries.
The Red Devils could do with some joy in England’s oldest cup competition, with Erik ten Hag’s side currently stumbling in the Premier League. The Dutchman made the FA Cup final last season but lost at the hands of rivals Manchester City.
Here is everything you need to know about United’s trip to the DW Stadium.
Wigan vs Man Utd H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
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United Kingdom |
ITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player |
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ESPN+ |
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Canada |
Sportsnet Now Plus, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet World Now |
Wigan are struggling in League One but they can’t blame their disappointing form on injuries. Shaun Maloney only has Jason Kerr sidelined at present, with the defender suffering a cruciate ligament injury in November 2022.
Fellow centre-back Liam Morrison moved to the pitch from the treatment room in December but the promising Arsenal loanee Omar Rekik returned to the Premier League side in January to receive treatment for a knee injury. Maloney is keen to extend Rekik’s stay but conceded: “That’s kind of out of my hands at the moment.”
Wigan predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Tickle; Clare, Hughes, Morrison, Sessegnon; Shaw, Adeeko; Godo, Lang, Jones; Magennis.
Man Utd‘s extensive injury list never seems to lessen, with Ten Hag still missing several key players. One of those is Sofyan Amrabat, who has travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco. While Andre Onana will also be going to the tournament, he will be joining up with Cameroon at a later date.
Victor Lindelof will also be missing for Man Utd, while Jadon Sancho is still frozen out at Old Trafford and nearing a move back to Borussia Dortmund. At full-back, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are doubts for the game against Wigan, with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire nearing a return to action.
Mason Mount and Casemiro are also close to being available for Ten Hag, but the trip to Wigan may come too soon. Anthony Martial has been missing through illness in recent weeks and could be absent again, but Rasmus Hojlund should return to the team.
Man Utd predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Varane, Dalot; Mainoo, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Let’s be honest, this should be a comfortable victory for Man Utd, regardless of form or confidence levels. Wigan are 17th in League One and with no Premier League action for the Red Devils until 14 January, Ten Hag should go strong for this one.
Even a disjointed Man Utd side should breeze to a relatively straightforward victory at the DW Stadium, this proving a good opportunity for some of United’s underperforming players.
However, it’s always difficult to know what you’re going to get from the Red Devils, and they rarely make things easy for themselves.
Prediction: Wigan 1-2 Man Utd
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