FA Cup quarter simulated with horror draw for Man Utd – if they get past Forest
MANCHESTER UNITED have been handed a nightmarish FA Cup quarter-final draw in SunSport’s simulated draw.
The Red Devils still need to book their place in the last eight by beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground this evening.
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A win is certainly not a given, as Man Utd lost 2-1 to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the Premier League in December.
Erik ten Hag will be desperate to return to winning ways after the miserable 2-1 home defeat to Fulham last Saturday.
Should United manage to beat Forest, SunSport’s simulated draw has set them up for a gruesome trip to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side serenely booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 6-2 win over Luton last night.
City host United in the Premier League on Sunday and our draw has seen them meet again.
Following the Red Devils’ defeat to Fulham, pundit Jamie Carragher pointed out a baffling tactical trend.
He said: “Twenty seconds into the game against Fulham it has been the problem for Manchester United all season: there is space between the back four and the midfield.
“We look at why they are poor defensively and cannot handle counter-attacks: they have no pace at the back and a lack of legs in midfield.
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“People say: ‘There are no playing patterns at Manchester United, how do they play and what is the philosophy?’.”
Ten Hag then hit back: “First of all, some analysts are very objective in their comments, very good advice, some are very subjective.
“Jamie Carragher has been critical from the start and now he wants to make his point clear.”
He then added: “He probably had a point in the first half hour.
“The way Fulham set up their midfield was a surprise and then we have to find the solutions.
“After half an hour we found the solutions.”
Elsewhere last night, Newcastle squeezed past Blackburn on penalties.
Their reward, according to our simulated draw, would be a home match against Coventry, who defeated sixth-tier Maidstone United 5-0 on Monday evening.
Southampton take on Carabao Cup winners Liverpool at Anfield tonight, with the winner hosting Leicester in our simulation, with the Foxes having won 1-0 at Bournemouth after extra time.
Meanwhile, we have the winners of Brighton vs Wolves to welcome the winners of Chelsea vs Leeds.
Full simulated quarter-final draw
Newcastle vs Coventry
Man City vs Forest/Man Utd
Southampton/Liverpool vs Leicester
Brighton/Wolves vs Chelsea/Leeds