Preview: Erik ten Hag seeks third final in two years as Reds take on Coventry City

Stretty News

·18 April 2024

Preview: Erik ten Hag seeks third final in two years as Reds take on Coventry City

Manchester United are looking to book their place in the FA Cup final on Sunday.

Wembley Stadium braces itself for a big weekend in the football calendar as the FA Cup semi-finals take place. The first of the two semi-finals will take place on Saturday between current trophy holders Man City and Chelsea, followed by Coventry vs Manchester United the following day.

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The winners of these games will face off in a Wembley final scheduled for 25 May.

Chelsea will be attempting to secure a final berth for the sixth time in eight years, but they face a formidable opponent in Man City, who crashed out of the Champions League during the week after losing to Real Madrid on penalties.

The game we’ll be focusing on sees Coventry City as the underdog. However, United haven’t been good this season and Erik ten Hag’s players cannot afford to underestimate our Championship opponents.

Coventry City are currently eighth in the Championship and their fans will be dreaming of a repeat of 1987 when they lifted the FA Cup.

Ten Hag’s side reached the final of this competition last season and were beaten by City and there is every chance that fixture is repeated this year. It has been a frustrating season for the Reds, sitting seventh in the Premier League with our hopes of Champions League qualification in serious doubt following a four-match winless run.

United can have no excuses if they fail to win this weekend, with Coventry returning to Wembley for the first time since they were beaten in the play-off final by Luton Town last season.

In order to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, United beat Liverpool in an incredible cup tie at Old Trafford and Coventry sparked an update by scoring twice in stoppage-time against Wolves.

Coventry won the last meeting (2007) between the two sides, a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford in the League Cup.

When is the match?

Coventry vs Manchester United will kick off at 3.30 pm BST on Sunday, April 21.

How to watch Coventry vs Manchester United

The game will be shown live on ITV1. Alternatively, you can stream the match on ITVX.

Coverage begins at 2:30 pm – an hour before kick-off.

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Coventry will be without Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Jamie Allen.

Ellis Simms, who Amad Diallo played with at Sunderland last term, is expected to lead the line. He has scored five goals in the FA Cup this season and will be one to keep an eye on.

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On the other hand, United have an array of injuries going into this one. The list includes Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial.

Antony is likely to return to the squad after missing United’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

Sign of progress

I’m well aware that the football we’ve seen this season has not been good enough, but I think many have been quick to forget how Ten Hag’s side overachieved in his first season as manager.

However, if United reach the FA Cup final this season, it will see Ten Hag reach his third final since becoming United manager in 2022.

Let’s rally behind the lads at Wembley and try to end the campaign on a high!

Prediction

Ultimately, I think United will have too much for Coventry.

Our form this season has been terrible, but I still think it would take something special from Mark Robins’ Coventry side if they were to knock us out.

Coventry have lost three of their last four Championship matches and their cup run looks likely to end here.

Coventry City 0-3 Manchester United

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