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Old Trafford is set to witness the magic of the cup as Manchester United play host to Colchester United in the quarterfinal of the League Cup.
Both clubs have had different routes to this stage, with Colchester United having participated in each round to date, defeating Swindon Town 3-0 in the first ound and then knocked out Premier League opposition in Crystal Palace and Tottenham consecutively on penalties before dispatching fellow League Two side Crawley Town 3-1 in the Round-of-16.
Manchester United, on the other hand, entered the competition in the Third Round by virtue of their higher standing and needed penalties to defeat League One side Rochdale before eliminating Chelsea with an impressive 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge in the Round-of-16.
Manchester United v Colchester Head-To-Head
Given the historical difference in size and ambitions of both clubs, it comes as no surprise that Manchester United are not regular foes for Colchester, as whereas the Essex club have wandered about in the lower reaches of English football, the Mancunians have very much played with the big boys.
The two clubs have met on just two occasions in the past, with both fixtures coming in Cup competition.
The Red Devils triumphed on each occasion, defeating Colchester 1-0 away in the FA Cup in February 1979 and 2-0 in the League Cup in November 1983.
Manchester United form guide: DWWDL
Colchester United form guide: DWLDW
Manchester United v Colchester Team News
Heading into the League Cup clash with Colchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has a coupled of injury concerns to worry about.
Long-term absentees Eric Bailly (knee), Paul Pogba (ankle), and Timothy-Fosu Mensah (ACL) are still ruled out, while Diego Dalot (ACL), and Marcos Rojo (muscle) could be in line to make an appearance.
Injuries: Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, Marcus Rojo, Timothy-Fosu Mensah
Doubtful: Diego Dalot, Marcus Rojo
Suspensions: None
Manchester United v Colchester Predicted XI
Manchester United Predicted XI: Sergio Romero; Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Ashley Young; Nemanja Matic, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood
Manchester United v Colchester prediction
Manchester United have not exactly caused fireworks with their performances this season but they did post impressive victories over Tottenham and Manchester City in consecutive fixtures but followed those up with another disappointing result against Everton.
Of particular concern would be the club's inability to see out results against smaller sides and although Colchester are 69 places beneath them on the league hierarchy, fans of Manchester United would be wary of the threat posed by the League Two side especially in light of how their club struggled against almost similar opposition in Rochdale earlier in the tournament.
The hectic Christmas schedule would see Solksjaer give rests to most of his key players but even with a second-string squad, Manchester United should still have enough in the tank to see off Colchester United.
Verdict: Manchester United 2-1 Colchester
Also check out: EPL fixtures EPL table UCL schedule
