Manchester United hosts West Ham in an FA Cup fifth-round tie on Tuesday night in what begins a pretty critical stretch for the Red Devils. They’ll head to West Bromwich Albion a week from today and then to Real Sociedad, to start a Europa League Round of 32 tie, four days after that.
It’s possible that United may have to make do in this triad of games without their star midfielder Paul Pogba, who left yesterday’s 3-3 draw with Everton due to a muscular injury of some sort.
Manchester United vs West Ham United FA Cup 5th Round FYIs
Kick-off: 7:30 pm GMT Tuesday Feb. 9, Old Trafford
United starting XI Prediction: go here
Key Stat: West Ham are winless (D4, L11) in their last 15 at Old Trafford, across all competitions
Recent Series History: United have taken all three of the recent FA Cup ties between these two sides
Team news for both sides
Pogba’s thigh injury will keep out of commission for “a few weeks.”
“We’ll have a scan in the morning and see how he recovers,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said after Saturday’s match.
Elsewhere United finally added central defender Phil Jones to their Premier League squad, on January transfer window deadline day of all days. And with United signing nobody at all, it invited plenty of “new signing?” jokes.
United winger Jesse Lingard, now on loan with the Hammers for the rest of the season, is ineligible to face his parent club here.
He made an instant impact four days ago, bagging a brace to help his new side defeat Aston Villa.
Irons midfielder Thomas Soucek had been ruled ineligible after seeing red in Saturday’s goalless draw with Fulham. It was a very controversial red card, issued by referee Mike Dean following a VAR check, because the consensus seems to be that it was quite undeserving.
The booking came in response to the 25 year old’s accidental elbow on Aleksandar Mitrovic, which saw contact but certainly no violent conduct. Soucek’s red card has since been appealed, and now overturned.
He released the following statement as he will no longer serve a three-match ban.
“I am glad my red card against Fulham has been overturned. I’ve checked it, I’ve gone over 200 games without a single red card. My entire career. I am looking forward to helping the team in the important games this week! Thanks for your support,” Soucek said.
Prediction: United 2, West Ham 1
Red Devils looked really shaky at the back and in goal yesterday, but they should still have enough to advance through in this one.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.