Norwich City vs Manchester United – Match Preview & Prediction

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Manchester United will kick the 2019-20 FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, as they will take on Norwich City at Carrow Road. The winner here will reach the semifinals, moving one step closer to a potential Cup title. This match will kick-off Saturday at 17:30 GMT. Manchester United are favourites by all accounts ahead of this contest, and have big odds of reaching the next stage of the competition.

Team News

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted at potential changes for this FA Cup. With the club fighting for the fifth place of the English Premier League standings, the Norwegian tactician said there might be a few modifications to the side that played against Sheffield United on Wedneday. That would be smart, as Manchester United play Brighton in a complicated fixture in only a few more days. Jesse Lingard will be available for selection after recovering from illness, and he could take part in this fixture to gain some much-needed match fitness. The only two absentees will be Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe. Expect Sergio Romero to start between the posts, as it has been the norm during Cup competitions the last few years.

As for Norwich, they will suffer due to injuries. Recent reports have indicated Grant Hanley, Sam Byram and Christoph Zimmermann will miss the remainder of the season due to injuries. The Canaries, who sit six points adrift safety in the Premier League, will be thin defensively ahead of this contest. That said, it is believed the coaching staff will priorize this game due to their situation in the league standings. Teemu Pukki, Emi Buendia, Todd Cantwell and Tom Trybull started the previous game against Everton on the bench, though. All four are expected to be in the starting XI for Saturday’s match against The Red Devils.

Form guide

The Red Devils enter this game on the heels of a 13-game undefeated streak in all competitions. This includes seven straight undefeated at the Premier League (W4, D3). It must be said Manchester United have played three matches in the tournament and have won them all. They kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 two-leg win over Wolverhampton, but later exploded. Solskjaer’s men recorded a 6-0 hammering of Tranmere, and later added a 3-0 win over Derby County. Manchester United are yet to concede in three FA Cup matches this term.

Norwich have played three FA Cup matches this season and one noticeable trend in those contests has been goals. All three contests have produced over 2.5 total goals, and all three have seen both sides finding the back of the net as well. They defeated Preston North End (4-2) in the Third Round. Afterwards, they took care of two Premier League opponents, Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur, by 2-1 scorelines.

What is our recent record against Norwich City?

Manchester United have faced Norwich City twice already this season, and The Red Devils won both matches. They secured a 3-1 win at Carrow Road on October 2019, and also defeated The Canaries 4-1 at home earlier this year. It is worth noting Manchester United have won each of their last three matches against Norwich City.

The previous meeting between these two clubs at Carrow Road saw United win 3-1. Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial found the back of the net for The Red Devils, while Onel Hernandez bagged Norwich’s consolation goal in that fixture.

Predicted outcome

Manchester United are favourites according to most bookmakers. It is worth mentioning Norwich will probably field their Best XI. However, that might not matter much given the difference of quality between both clubs. Plus, they will feature several absences on defence and that could complicate their chances of getting a positive result here. The Red Devils have gained confidence as the season progressed and tshouldn’t face major issues to secure the win in this contest.

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