Newport welcome Manchester United to Rodney Parade on Sunday for a dream FA Cup clash that could be history-making for the League Two club.
The Exiles eventually came through 3-1 winners against non league Eastleigh in their third round replay to set up what is probably the biggest game in the club’s history to date. For United, it’s been a turbulent season with some disappointing results which have left Red Devils fans questioning manager Erik ten Hag’s ability to take them back to the top.
A cup win would go some way to silencing the doubters, but we’re a long way from that just yet and they must first navigate their way past Newport.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at this game in the hopes that we can provide you with some winning bets for the weekend.
Strong at home
The hosts currently sit mid-table in League Two and results have been a little sporadic. However, the Welsh club have managed to hit some form of consistency at home of late, having not tasted defeat at Rodney Parade since November. Their recent 1-0 win over rivals Wrexham will have only boosted their confidence further heading into this.
In complete contrast, United’s away form has been truly appalling for a club of their stature. Recent defeats to Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Newcastle United on the road have left the manager under some pressure. They did break that cycle in the last round of this competition however, beating Wigan 2-0 to set up this encounter.
Strong lineup
Having enjoyed a two week winter break, United players should be feeling fresh for this match up and, as such, Ten Hag is expected to name a strong lineup to take on their lower league opposition. Goalkeeper Andre Onana remains unavailable due to his African Cup of Nations commitments with Cameroon, so the experienced Tom Heaton is expected to deputise between the posts.
The visitors may use this opportunity to give some of their younger players some precious minutes, however we’re expecting to see the likes of Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes feature. Ten Hag is already feeling plenty of pressure from fans and he will not want to risk losing here to a lower league side.
Magic of the Cup
It’s no secret that the task that faces Newport here is a mammoth one. However the Exiles have succeeded against Premier League opposition before, beating Leicester just a few years after they lifted the Premier League title. They’ve also battled hard against the likes of Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester City in the past, so United should not take this as a foregone conclusion.
There’s no doubt that the home side will be hoping that they can conjure up some of that famous FA Cup magic come Sunday. We can’t wait to see what this game has in store.
Suggested bets
- Manchester United to Win -2 Handicap
- A penalty to be awarded in the game
- 0-4 Correct Score
