United to overcome Boro hurdle to the fifth round
Manchester United will be bidding for a routine win and passage through to the fifth round of the FA Cup when they play hosts to Championship side Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Friday night. Read our preview here:
A Rash decision
The late January lull for Premier League clubs was naturally dominated by the transfer window, though the board in Stretford overruled interim head coach Ralf Rangnick's decision to allow Jesse Lingard to leave on loan to Newcastle United, but Donny van de Beek's temporary move to Everton was sanctioned along with other fringe players. Mason Greenwood is not being considered for selection for the foreseeable future because of legal reasons, and all of this in turn makes the squad somewhat lighter. Marcus Rashford has rediscovered his scoring touch, and is set to lead the line with Jadon Sancho in support.
Balogun-ning for glory
Barring a 1-0 defeat to promotion rivals Blackburn Rovers, 2022 has been very good for the Teesside outfit thus far. Chris Wilder's men will be the underdogs for their trip south, but he has recently acquired Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun on loan. His speed and intelligent movement weren't enough to warrant a place in Mikel Arteta's now threadbare roster in attack, but should help his new side's charge in league and cup. He will be supplied through balls by fellow new boy Riley McGree. The Australian attacking midfielder joined from Birmingham City a fortnight ago.
Betting tip
Results under Rangnick have largely been good, even if they're not perceived like that outside of the red half of Manchester. Anything other than a victory on home soil on Friday within 90 minutes would be a surprise, but betway's odds of 3.40 for them to achieve that with Middlesbrough also scoring shouldn't be overlooked.
