United fans were not even over the Derby magic and now the Old Trafford faithful are set to welcome Manchester City yet again. Although this time it’s going to be the “Manchester City of Non-League teams”, Crawley Town.
Nicknamed as “Red Devils”, Crawley Town will become the 205th team to play against Manchester United. This is the first time that the two sides will face each other in any competition. The managers of both clubs, Sir Alex and Steve Evans are Glasgow born and have played as striker for Ayr United and St Johnstone during different stages of their career.
Crawley Town are currently placed second in the Conference National division, a division that has a mixture of full-time and semi-professional clubs. Manchester United, as we all know are firmly placed on the top of the Premier League. So, basically a total of 1 (National Conference team) + 20 (League 2 teams) + 20 (League 1 teams) + 20 (Championship teams) + 19 (Premier League teams) = 80 teams is the exact difference between the two sides.
Manchester United
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Last 5 Results: W, W, W, L, W
United, riding high on confidence after the Derby win will look to continue their quest for a record 12th FA Cup title. The big name players Vidic, Van Der Sar, Rooney, Giggs etc. might be rested as United have to travel to France midweek for their quarter-final Champions League tie against Marseille.
Andres Lindegaard is certain to start between the posts for United. The keeper has impressed many since his arrival in the January transfer window. Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Michael Carrick are expected to provide the experience to a relatively young team. Youngsters Joshua King, Paul Pogba, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Olliver Norwood have all been given senior squad numbers prior to the match. Two other academy players Ravel Morrison and Robbie Brady already have squad numbers and they all could be involved at some point of the match. The tie will give these youngsters a chance to mingle with the pros, though many of them are expected to start on the bench.
United will miss the services of Park Ji-Sung (hamstring), Jonny Evans (ankle), Rio Ferdinand (calf), Owen Hargreaves (hamstring) who all are certain to miss the game. Michael Owen aggravated a groin injury in training and is expected to be sidelined for the game. Antonio Valencia returned to practice with the reserves this week but is still a few weeks short of match fitness.
CRAWLEY TOWN
Crawley Town
Last 5 Results: W, W, D, W, D
An unknown entity, Crawley Town have become the first non-league team to reach the fifth round of FA Cup since 1994. A club that was once on the verge of liquidation in 2006 saw its fortunes getting reversed overnight when a takeover, followed by investment from some anonymous parties based in Hong Kong revitalized the club, with all debts (around £1.4 million) being cleared and massive investment in the transfer market. The impact of all the cash flow was immediate and the club has not lost a single match in 2011. Their last defeat was away to Dartford in the FA Trophy on 14 December. Aggressive in their play, Crawley have a reputation of possessing a care-free attitude towards larger teams.
Midfielder Scott Neilson will miss the game having failed to recover from a foot injury (broken toe). Goalkeeper Michael Kuipers, midfielders Sergio Torres and Ben Smith were all rested for Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Wrexham and are ready to make a comeback. In-form striker Matt Tubbs, who has scored 25 goals in 27 Blue Square Premier League games along with three goals in five games in this season’s FA Cup, including the winner against Torquay United in the fourth round is certain to start.
Their outing to Old Trafford is once in a lifetime opportunity for the players as well as for the fans and approximately 9000 Crawley fans are expected to travel to Manchester to watch “the biggest game in the history of their club.”
Lets hope for a good match, though United, even with a second string team are the clear favorites to win this match. I go with a 3-0 scoreline.
