Simon Grayson is a familiar name to Manchester United fans for the wrong reason. He was the manager of Leeds 5 years ago, that stunned United in the third round of the FA Cup, beating them 1-0. This time round, Grayson is managing Preston North End who currently sit 4th, in League 1. Louis Van Gaal’s side are looking to win the FA cup for the 12th time, last winning it in the 2003-04 season.
Chris Smalling’s double and Van Persie’s penalty saw off Burnley in mid-week extending Utd’s record of losing just 1 of their last 18 games in all competitions. Bad performances on a consistent basis have lead to a lot of unhappy fans but as Louis Van Gaal expressed to his players, if we’re winning whilst playing badly then what’s going to happen when it finally does click.
Blind, Van Persie and Jones are unlikely to feature after picking up knocks against Burnley and Michael Carrick is still recovering from a ruptured calf muscle. Luke Shaw however can once again feature following his one-match ban. Preston’s top scorer Joe Garner returned earlier this month but his teammate Jermaine Beckford, who also featured in Leed’s shock victory over United 5 years ago, is forced out with an ear problem. Callum Robinson, currently on loan from Aston Villa, is also hoping to make a return to the Lilly white’s starting line-up following a hamstring issue.
The last time the sides met was in the FA Cup fourth round 43 years ago as two goals from Alan Gowling earned United a 2-0 victory.
Phil Dowd is in charge of the match which you can watch live on BBC one, coverage starts at 19:30 and kick-off is at 19:45 GMT.
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