Since beating Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the fourth round FA Cup match, Manchester United have been in supreme form picking up full points against Watford and Saint Etienne later on. Now, the Red Devils will be looking to advance to the next round of the FA Cup as they face off against Championship side Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
Also read: FA Cup fifth round results
Blackburn Rovers are currently in 23rd place in the Championship and staring at relegation. A win against Manchester United at home would certainly do wonders to the team's confidence.
After Leicester City's and Lincoln City's loss against Millwall and Burnley yesterday, Blackburn will be hoping to pull a coup on the same lines. However, Blackburn boss Owen Coyle will have a tough time to chose the playing 11 in the light of injury and suspension concerns.
Blackburn's Nigerian striker Hope Akpan and midfielder Elliott Bennett are suspended for the match. Tommy Hoban and Corry Evans are not fit and Sam Gallagher, who received 12 stitches on his knee, will also miss out. Besides, loan player Lucas Joao is cup tied for the match.
Blackburn boss Owen Coyle said it is a wonderful opportunity for his young side to face Manchester United.
"To play an elite club like Manchester United is a wonderful opportunity. Particularly for our young players it's a chance to stand toe to toe with world-class players. This game is a chance for some of those players to see how far they've got to go, to say 'maybe I need to hone my craft a little, this is what I need to do."
"We know if we play to our best and Manchester United plays to their best then, ordinarily, they will win. But if they are slightly off that's how shocks are created. It can happen in cup games. We need two things to happen -- for us to be at our very best and for Man United to be off their game. That can happen in cup games and if it does we have to be ready to maximize our opportunity.''
With the Premier League title out of reach, Jose Mourinho and Manchester United will be targeting the Europa League, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
Jose Mourinho is expected to make a number of changes to his team. Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are indisposed to play the match. Phil Jones is back on his feet and is poised to get a start.
Luke Shaw and Bastian Schweinsteiger could also make it to the starting 11.
"We played already Reading and Wigan from the Championship so it is not new for us the level of the Championship, the difficulty of the Championship. Plus, one thing is Old Trafford, [it is] another is to go away, so I go serious. I am going to change a few players but I am going with a good team because I respect the competition a lot, and Manchester United demands that you go serious to every game," Mourinho said.
Where to watch
The FA Cup fifth round match between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United is set to start at 9:45pm IST (11:15am EST, 4:15pm GMT)
TV and live streaming information
India: TV: Sony Six HD. Live streaming: Sonyliv.
UK: TV: BT Sports 2. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.
USA: TV: Fox Sports 1. Live Streaming: FoxSoccer2Go.
Africa: TV: SuperSport 3, SuperSport Select 2. Live streaming: SuperSport live
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
