For Manchester United, there is really no time to really dwell on the Wednesday night loss which saw them eliminated from the EFL Cup competition.
Their intracity neighbors and rivals, Manchester City, handed United manager Ole Gunnar Solskajer his fourth loss in the semifinal round of a competition, meaning the Norwegian is now 0 for all 4. However, they must move on, instantly, as tomorrow brings the next match, and in a new competition.
Manchester United vs. Watford FC (FA Cup 3rd Rd) FYIs
Kickoff: Sat, Jan. 9, 8pm GMT
Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
Streaming: ESPN+, TV: BT Sport
Odds: Manchester United win -333; Draw +400; Watford win +850
United begin their tournament campaign in the third round, as all the big boys do, and the first opponent will be Watford on Saturday. Striker Odion Ighalo, set to soon return to his parent club Shanghai Shenhua, will likely make a rare appearance in this one.
It will indeed be special for him, as Watford is the club where he has, arguably, enjoyed the best success of his career.
“He’s been training really well,” said Solskjaer.
“I was just saying before, I don’t know how many goals he scored, but he was the top scorer by a mile in the round-robin we just had in training.”
In terms of team news, defenders Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones remain out as long term absentees while striker Edinson Cavani is suspended. Flipping over to the Hornets, Craig Cathcart and Joao Pedro have overcome their hamstring problems, and they could play a part in this one.
However, Domingos Quina, Isaac Success, Stipe Perica and Christian Kabasele will all be unavailable.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction vs Watford (FA Cup 3rd Round)
Henderson; Tuanzebe, Bailly, Maguire, Telles; Matic, Van de Beek; James, Mata, Greenwood; Ighalo
Prediction: United 2, Watford 0
Look for the Red Devils to bounce back nicely here.
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.