It’s a short drive for Manchester United, about a half hour or so, when they travel to Wigan Athletic Monday night for the final tie of the FA Cup third round. As has been well documented, United are having a very rough season thus far.
They have been injury-riddled to be sure, but overall, the quality of players on this roster is just lacking.
FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Manchester United at Wigan Athletic
Kick: Mon. Jan 8, 2024, at 8:15pm, DW Stadium, Robin Park, Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK
Man United Previews: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Premier League book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Fun Fact: Wigan Athletic have only beaten United once, all-time, in 19 matches
Midway through year two of the Erik ten Hag era and no matter who he puts out on the pitch, the results are just not there. In terms of what the squad might look like on Monday night, expect Ten Hag to play a lot of his starters, even though this is a cup competition, against a lower division side.
United just have to feature the healthy and able-bodied players available to them right now. And for the sake of morale, they need a positive result by any means necessary.
Man United Starting XI Prediction at Wigan Athletic (FA Cup)
Andre Onana; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo; Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Marcus Rashford
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.