Swansea trying to find an on-field distraction, a striker searching for goals and a potential shock at Newport
Manchester United have lost five times to Chelsea in the FA Cup and the last of United’s eight Cup victories over the Blues came almost exactly two decades ago, in the 1999 quarter-finals, when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was in the team. Within the next month Solskjær’s side will play key games against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal away from home and against Liverpool at Old Trafford, with the period ending with either a home match with Manchester City in the league, an FA Cup quarter-final or a few days off, depending on results here and at Newport County this weekend. By its end we will know if the Solskjaer Bounce was just a temporary elevation or whether the genial Norwegian has successfully coaxed this previously pedestrian team into taking flight. The first match of the run, against PSG on Tuesday, brought something of a reality check and also a couple of unwelcome injuries, with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both limping off, which may force Solskjaer into some fixture prioritisation. It will be interesting to see where this one ranks, given that United’s chances of silverware this season almost certainly hinge on it. SB
Written by Sachin Nakrani, Barry Glendenning and Simon Burnton
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/15/fa-cup-talking-points-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend under the title “FA Cup talking points: 10 things to look out for this weekend”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
