On Tuesday, Manchester United will host Barnsley in the Third Round of the EFL Cup, with the League One team relishing the opportunity to play at Old Trafford.
Manchester United vs. Barnsley: Preview
Manchester United, who secured the EFL Cup 18 months ago under Erik ten Hag, come into this match buoyed by a recent win. After a disappointing 3-0 loss to Liverpool before the international break, United bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Southampton on Saturday.
Despite a shaky start and a penalty conceded due to Diogo Dalot’s challenge, goalkeeper Andre Onana made a crucial save, and goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford put United in control. Alejandro Garnacho added a late goal after Southampton had a player sent off.
Match Details
Match: Barnsley @ Manchester United
Date & Time: Sep 17, 2024 at 8 pm UK
Stadium: Old Trafford
Team News, Stats & Head-to-Head
Manchester United
United will now focus on advancing to the Fourth Round, where they were eliminated last season by Newcastle United, who won 3-0 at Old Trafford. Despite winning the FA Cup later that season, United aims for a stronger performance this year.
Ten Hag is expected to use this match to give some of his squad members a chance to play, especially due to recent injuries in defense. De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, and Noussair Mazraoui were all substituted in the Southampton game, though De Ligt’s issue was just a cramp. Martinez and Mazraoui will be assessed before the match, potentially leading to starts for Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, who played in the 2009 encounter.
Manuel Ugarte may make his full debut, and Casemiro, Antony, and Garnacho could be promoted from the bench. Barnsley’s only confirmed absentee is Conor Hourihane, while Max Watters and Fabio Jalo have returned from injury. Defender Donovan Pines, who was substituted at half-time in the Stevenage match, is expected to be fit to play.
Barnsley
Barnsley, who are in League One, may seem less intimidating, Manchester United has experienced five defeats to lower-league teams in this competition since 2011, which could give Barnsley some confidence. Barnsley recently suffered a 3-0 defeat to Stevenage, ending a run of four unbeaten games in the league, and have fallen out of the League One playoff spots, though they started the season well.
Barnsley, who lost to United’s Under-21s in the EFL Trophy earlier this season, have performed better in the EFL Cup, advancing past Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United. The teams last met in the EFL Cup’s last 16 in 2009, with United emerging victorious, but Barnsley previously beat United in the FA Cup in 1998.
Head-to-Head
There has been no recent fixture of the concerned sides, they last met in 2009 in a League Cup clash where United won 2-0. In the previous 38 meetings, Manchester United has secured 22 wins, with Barnsley managing to win 5.
Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen netted the goals in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team’s 2-0 victory, despite a red card for Gary Neville. The Red Devils went on to win the competition that season, with a final victory over Aston Villa at Wembley.
Possible Starting XI
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot; Maguire, Evans, Amass; Casemiro, Ugarte, Collyer; Antony, Zirkzee, Garnacho
Barnsley: Slonina; Cotter, De Gevigney, Pines, Earl, Lofthouse; Connell, Phillips; Keillor-Dunn, Jalo, Humphreys
Manchester United vs. Barnsley: Prediction
Although it seems Manchester United is going to dominate the game in every stat possible, Barnsley will hope to make a breakthrough and punish the Red Devils on the counter-attacks. It will be interesting to see how the players majorly from the United bench perform.
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