Manchester United are preparing for another challenge in a different competition. After recent home wins in Premier League and the FA Cup, Erik Ten Hag’s team is set to play at Old Trafford yet again, but this time in the League Cup quarterfinal.
Charlton Athletic are coming to town, as they will hope for a huge upset. The League One side want another surprise in the competition, but United will have the chance to bring their run of wins up to eight. Interestingly, this will be United’s fifth match at Old Trafford in the last six matches, and not the last one during the run, as Manchester City will also cross the town to the Theatre of Dreams, this coming weekend.
But before we get to the Manchester Derby, let’s first focus on the match which awaits the Red Devils on Tuesday night.
Team News
This match will be the ideal chance for Ten Hag change things drastically and give rest to some of the players. The quarterfinal is an important match, but United should have enough about them to beat Charlton without some of the main stars. Bruno Fernandes will be out of contention due to suspension after picking up two yellow cards. Donny van de Beek is a dobut, while Jadon Sancho is still not ready to return to the fold. Axel Tuanzebe is recovering from his long-term injury, but it will be interesting to see what kind of role could Jack Butland get, considering he is eligible to make his debut after his recent arrival from Crystal Palace.
As for Charlton, goalkeeper Joe Wollacott will miss the match due to a fractured finger. Diallang Jaiyesimi has hip problems which will keep him out of the squad, while Mandela Egbo will not play due to a muscle injury. Another goalkeeper is a doubt, as Ashley Maynard-Brewer missed the last game against Lincoln due to concussion protocol.
Form Guide
It’s incredibly easy to talk about Man United’s current form, considering the number of wins in recent months. Since the World Cup, United won all five of their matches, and are on the run of seven consecutive wins. In fact, they also have 10 wins in last 11 matches, with only Aston Villa getting the three points off Erik Ten Hag’s team. The 3-1 win against Everton in the FA Cup came following the 3-0 win over Bournemouth in the league, so United are also scoring good amounts of goals. It is no wonder then the fans will be confident ahead of the Tuesday night clash against the League One side.
Charlton are not doing as well as United, obviously, but recently, they have improved their form as well. Wins against Portsmouth and Lincoln City got them into 12th place in League One. In League Cup, they got past Brighton on penalties, after a 0-0 draw. This team is clearly far from United in quality, but they are also far from their worst this season – from mid-November until mid-December, Charlton were on a run of five losses and a draw in six matches.
Predicted Outcome
For all of the obvious reasons, we predict Manchester United will beat Charlton Athletic 3-0, without spending too much energy, swiftly moving on to the semis.
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