MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE made the trip south this evening to take on fourth-tier Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium.
On paper it should be a straightforward task for Louis van Gaal’s side, but Cambridge will be keen to cause a famous upset in front of a sell-out 8,000 crowd.
A place in the fifth round of the FA Cup is up for grabs, and kick-off is at 7.55pm.
As always, we’d love to hear from you throughout the game. Send us your thoughts and comments via e-mail pauldollery@the42.ie, tweet us @the42_ie, find us on Facebook, or leave a comment below.
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It’s Friday night FA Cup football at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium and Manchester United are in town. The visitors’ team is in…
Manchester United: De Gea, Jones, Rojo, Blind, Valencia, Carrick, Fellaini, Januzaj, Di Maria, Wilson, Falcao. Subs: Rafael, Shaw, Van Persie, Herrera, Fletcher, Valdes, McNair.
No Wayne Rooney in the Manchester United team. What formation can we expect from Louis van Gaal: 3-5-2 or 4-4-2?
Here it is, the one you’ve all been waiting for…
Cambridge United: Dunn, Tait, Taylor, Coulson, Donaldson, Champion, Elliott, Hughes, Nelson, McGeehan, Kaikai. Subs: Norris, Miller, Dunk, Simpson, Ball, Chadwick, Bird.
These fans look pretty jovial considering that — according to Gary Lineker — Cambridge is currently one of the coldest places on earth.
What ever happened to your man Luke Chadwick who played for Manchester United back in the day? He’s on the bench tonight for Cambridge.
No place in Cambridge’s match-day squad for former League of Ireland duo Gearoid Morrissey and Rory Gaffney.
Kick-off at Abbey Stadium is 20 minutes away, folks. Any chance of a shock tonight?
When discussing an FA Cup tie between clubs at opposite ends of the ladder, you’re obliged to point out how many places are between them in English football’s pecking order. That number is 76.
There’s not room to swing a cat tonight in the Abbey Stadium.
Cambridge are available at 12/1 to win tonight. Anyone audacious enough to chance it?
Michael Carrick captains Manchester United in the absence of Wayne Rooney. Three minutes to kick-off in this one.
Van Gaal not hoping for any ‘Magic of the Cup’ tonight.
We’re off here at the Abbey Stadium! Manchester United are all in white, Cambridge are in their traditional gold and black strip.
Manchester United fans can never resist a pop at Steven Gerrard: “Chadwick 1, Gerrard 0″ is the chant, in reference to the Cambridge substitute’s superiority when it comes to Premier League medals.
Very good start by Cambridge here. A free-kick into the visitors’ box was just headed a couple of yards wide by Tom Elliot.
A Manchester United corner is cleared and Kaikai breaks before being halted Valencia. Phil Jones took the corner. Aren’t centre-halves supposed to be on the other end of set-pieces?
Another corner for Cambridge. Donaldson finds Hughes but his effort goes wide. The home team have been on top so far.
Falcao with Manchester United’s first decent attempt on goal but it’s well blocked by Taylor.
Twenty minutes played at the Abbey Stadium. No goals just yet but Cambridge will be the happier of the two sides.
Donaldson found his way through there but Phil Jones rescued the visitors. Really poor start from Louis Van Gaal’s men.
Di Maria has a shot for Manchester United from outside the box which goes so far off target that it’s gone out over the stand… which admittedly isn’t that high, but still.
Former Cork hurler Tom Kenny isn’t a member of the Phil Jones Fan Club…
Booking for Marouane Fellaini for a foul on Kaikai. First yellow card of the game.
Would we be going over the top by saying it’s been all one-way traffic so far? United fans, what’s the verdict?
Almost the opener for Cambridge! Goalmouth scramble after a corner and Coulson heads it just over the crossbar.
Ten minutes to go until half-time. The Manchester United players might be expecting some Fergie-style hairdryer treatment from Louis van Gaal.
This is better from United, keeping hold of the ball and knocking at the door. Di Maria’s shot is deflected into the path of Dunn.. fortunately for the Cambridge goalkeeper.
Free-kick for United in a dangerous position, just to the right and around 25 yards out after a foul on Falcao.
Di Maria’s free-kick is well wide. He’s been struggling to hit the target so far but you get the impression that he’s the most likely man to unlock the Cambridge defence.
Half-time: Cambridge United 0-0 Manchester United 0
It was better from Manchester United in the latter stages of that first half but it was a very poor 45 minutes from the visitors.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester United fans aren’t best pleased…
Cambridge’s Josh Coulson had the best chance of the first half.
Cambridge “have got one hell of a chance” according to Alan Shearer on BBC. “Without a doubt there’s a mistake in that United back-four.”
As we prepare to start the second half, it’s looking good for Cambridge. On level terms and they’ve still got this crafty veteran in reserve.
Januzaj had a good effort saved by Dunn early in this second half. There’s definitely more urgency about the Premier League side now.
Luke Chadwick is warming up! Exciting development for fans of random ’90s footballers.
The weather looks rough at the Abbey Stadium. Time to find out if Falcao and Di Maria can produce the goods on a wet Friday night in Cambridge.
Manchester United are enjoying much more possession but there’s still no sign of a breakthrough.
Penalty claim from Cambridge as Elliot appears to have been brought down by Valencia but the referee waves it away.
Best chance of the game so far: Carrick plays Falcao through and his shot brings a brilliant save from Dunn.
Another yellow card for Manchester United, Wilson going in the book this time for a foul on Elliot. 25 minutes remain.
Double substitution for Manchester United: Robin van Persie and Ander Herrera replace James Wilson and Marouane Fellaini.
Cambridge United are 20 minutes away from what would be an extremely lucrative replay for the League Two club at Old Trafford.
Manchester United are getting desperate now. Phil Jones just had a shot. You probably don’t need us to tell you that it didn’t end well.
Great chance for Van Persie goes too high…
Another half-chance for Manchester United but Antonio Valencia squanders it. It’s going to be a nervy last 16 minutes or so. Another corner now for the away side.
So about that replay…
Luke Chadwick has come on for Cambridge to replace Liam Hughes. What odds on Chadwick scoring the winner against his former club?
Cambridge are really under the cosh now. It’s like a GAA-style game of backs-and-forwards at this stage. Ten minutes of normal time left to play.
Herrera having a positive impact for Manchester United since he came on. They’re creating chances but it’s still scoreless.
Courageous defending from Phil Jones and Cambridge have a corner. Six minutes left.
De Gea punches it away and Herrera clears it from danger. Cambridge are asking questions of the United defence again, however.
Di Maria’s cross is headed harmlessly over the crossbar by Falcao. Three minutes to go. Are Cambridge off to Old Trafford?
We’re into injury time at the Abbey Stadium. A minimum of three minutes to be added.
Brilliant double save by Cambridge goalkeeper Dunn from Januzaj and then Di Maria. Drama in the dying moments but the hosts are hanging in there.
“A draw was a dream result for us and we’ve got it,” Cambridge’s Ryan Donaldson tells the BBC. Man of the match award for Donaldson too.
Cambridge have got a £1.5million trip to Manchester ahead…
Fingers crossed
We messed up our joking bid with Scotland the last time due to Bertie bowl n few other amateurish things. Scots regretted bidding with us big time. Hopefully this one will come through
“amateurish things” is right!! All we did was blow millions on making fools of ourselves.
Not a fan of having the Euros across a number of cities, but I’d certainly be keen for a handful of top-end, knockout matches here!
Knowing the FAI, they’ll probably make a bolloc*s of it…
No probably about it
Agree. I wouldnt trust the FAI as far as i’d throw em.
Say what you want about John Delaney but he is a consummate bureaucrat. Like him or loathe him I would have him as CEO of my company in a second. When he is finished with the FAI he will get a job with UEFA and will do well in that bureaucratic organisation, which in turn will benefit us in the future.
He is a constant massive drain of the funds. Funds that should be going towards developing a proper league not one which still has Dublin university student teams along with 40 others from various areas of dublin.
They have never even built a decent stadium of their own, while the GAA are redeveloping yet another, one in a long line they have built over the years.
The FAI are a low class scammer outfit reliant on their support base not caring and being happy to blindly cheer on some English team feverishly and of course on occasion a bunch of second rate soccer players in an IRFU owned stadium.
@Tribesman. Your absolutely right with some of the points you made, but JD didn’t invent the FAI. I think we all can admit it was pretty shambolic before he had anything to do with it. Lansdowne Rd has transformed into a state of the art stadia now. And also what can you do if soccer fans show allegiance to foreign clubs.
God this better happen.
UEFA continuing with their good work to destroy football with this ridiculous format.The tournament should be held in one or two countries like always.
Idea is smaller countries get a chance, that’s good surely?
Smaller countries can still get chance under the traditonal format,and it will feel like a proper international tournament not one that will be just an international version of the champions league.The FAI could easily collaborate on a tournament with the Welsh and Scotttish F.A.s. or one staged between Lithuania,Estonia and Latvia.
Can’t wait to watch Slovakia v Greece in the Aviva, it’ll be a cracker.
@Diramuid
Russia v Ukraine would be a cracker :)
The general Irish footballing public doesn’t deserve an event like this on their door-step, let them trot over to England for it if they want.
Idiot.
And before you give out about me committing the heinous crime of supporting an English team (Leeds) there isnt even a League of Ireland club in my county. The closest one, Monaghan, was allowed go to the wall. If the FAI dont care about it, why should I??
The general Irish public, never mind the footballing public, doesn’t deserve an event like this on their doorstep. Imagine all the hooligans that some of the European clubs will bring… I feel sorry for the genuine soccer fans but there is most definitely a hooligan element attached to the game that spoils it for the genuine fans and we don’t need the security bills that come with a major soccer event like this.
It’s the public fault not the fai. To busy in pubs watchin sky
Well if there isn’t one in your county then you’re off the hook! Much more of a connection between Cavan/Fermanagh/Tyrone/Donegal/Down/Armagh and Liverpool than there is between any of those places and a stupid LOI club!
The ignorance of that response is amazing. 1. There’s clubs in the counties you named 2. How could an English club EVER have a stronger connection than any Irish one no matter where it is.
If that’s the case shouldn’t people in Cavan prefer to go to Manchester to watch Euro2020 than Dublin, “much more of a connection” no?
Liverpool even
Down Fermanagh Armagh are in a different league plus they have teams baliinamallard portadown Armagh city etc, cavan do not have a team though
@Shane. We should do everything possible to hold games, the benefits to the economy would be huge.
Typical Barstooler response “Its the FAI’s fault”
So you support a club in another Country because there is no team in your County. Do you not see the irony in that?
You can make all the excuses you want, if the people of Monaghan had supported the club they’d still be there.
Also, I’m including the FAI in the group of people who don’t deserve it.
Is Irish soccer that popular anymore?
Still the 2nd biggest participation sport on the island after GAA so yeah quite popular
No
Pretty sure it has the most participants for a team sport.
@Not Eric R
Have you not heard of the GAA?
What’s the GAA?
Have a look at the Irish sports council’s figures there. If you want you can lump, football and hurling in as one and there’s still less. Unless there’s been a huge swing in the first 4 months of this year (there hasnt) I’m right.
Number of teams does not indicate participation nearly 800,000 members of GAA clubs
It was yourself that mentioned active participants Wayne.
This is all irrelevant really. Hopefully we get to host a game!
Dose this mean we’ll automatically qualify for the tournament?
Oh yeah, 13 host cities so each selected nation automatically qualifies…don’t be such a dope!
A Ryan if that’s an answer to me, I think it’s countries than take part in this tournament, not cities, but please do let me know if this will be changed by 2020
Cities will be chosen as host cities, not host nations. There will be 13 host cities in 13 nations.
Thank you
Padraig. They would rather watch football in England anyway. Just ask an irishman who he supports. I support Arsenal and I am from Dundalk. All the plastic Liverpool fans be celebrating soon enough. Don’t forget to boo Gerrard in the world cup.
Will any matches be played in dalymount or tolka?
Why would matches be played there? Better chance of having one or two in Ferrycarrig Park.
Yeah, the final and all the England group matches.
Absolute Crazy if Irl got it, give it to Scotland/wales/iceland. WHY? look at the state of our league, we dont support our league, barstool nation, most Irish ppl despise the LOI. Barstoolers = Fake fans.
Nice comeback, don’t address my point whatsoever.
The only way we will get to play in it
They want to host them today? I think they’d be better off waiting another 6 years or so.
Maybe they should try and get Croke Park, they would hardly say no to an 82,000 capacity stadium