Casemiro at centre back and other stories ahead of Manchester United vs Coventry City | OneFootball

Manchester United and Coventry City will face each other later today in the second FA Cup semi-final.

The winner will take on Manchester City in the showpiece final on Saturday 25th May.

The Red Devils have suffered a nightmarish season to date but reaching a second successive FA Cup final against their cross-city rivals will add a little bit of gloss to the campaign.

The two sides have played each other 83 times in history with United coming out on top on 43 occasions.

Here are some of the big storylines that fans young and old will be discussing as they make their way down Wembley Way before the biggest game of the season to date for both sides.

How will Casemiro manage at centre back?

United have been cursed when it comes to injuries this season, especially in the defensive sector.

It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise as this point but United fans received the unwelcome news on Saturday evening that Willy Kambwala had picked up an injury and was unable to travel with the playing squad.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, manager Erik ten Hag claimed, “injuries are normal in football but not as many as we’ve had. So many injuries we’ve had in crucial positions”.

Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, called the news a “disaster” and stated that the club have now suffered over 60 different individual injuries this season.

Moreover, Ten Hag claimed that he had to trial Casemiro as a centre back in training due to the team’s shortage of central defenders.

Therefore, how the Brazilian deals with the role next to Harry Maguire will be pivotal in United’s chances this Sunday afternoon.

Casemiro has had a terrible season and by his own admission, has had “sleepless nights” trying to process his form. A solid display this afternoon will get him momentarily back in the good books of the fans.

However, starting at centre back will mean the Brazil international does not need to cover the huge amounts of ground he has been asked to do this season and this may allow him just to focus on defending on what is in front of him, which may play to his strengths.

How will Alejandro Garnacho respond after social media controversy?

Manchester United have rarely had an uneventful week this season, and this one has been no different. After their poor 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, it emerged that young star, Alejandro Garnacho, had liked a social media comment criticising his removal from the game at half-time.

However, in his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag revealed that the 19 year old had apologised and that the matter had been dealt with.

The young Argentine has been one of the few reasons for positivity this season and has transformed himself from a bench spark plug to arguably the team’s most important attacker.

If United are to make it to the final in May, he will surely play a key role in terrorising the Championship outfit’s defence.

United looking for first win against the Sky Blues since 2001

United and Coventry used to be a regular fixture in the English footballing calendar but the latter’s relegation from the Premier League has meant that they have only played once since 2001.

That was in September 2007 when Coventry shocked United and won 0-2 at Old Trafford in the League Cup. It was an even more surprising result considering Sir Alex Ferguson’s men would go on to win the League and Champions League double that season.

Therefore, the last time the Red Devils tasted victory against the side from the Coventry Building Society Arena was back in April 2001 when they ran out 4-2 winners at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Coventry have had a rollercoaster of a time in recent years as they descended all the way to League Two in 2017 but they have found a way to get themselves back into the Championship. They are currently in eighth in the second division and will hope to use their cup run as momentum to spring a promotion bid next season.

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