Manchester United to Send Newport County to FA Cup Exile

Newport County vs Manchester United

Manchester United’s itinerary has eased up now that they’re already eliminated in European competition and in the EFL Cup. Technically speaking, they can still win two trophies this 2023-24 campaign, but the FA Cup is probably their best bet.

After beating Wigan Athletic in the third round, up next for Manchester United are Newport County. With that said, the Red Devils are the overwhelming favourites to advance to the next round, according to the FA Cup 2024 odds.

For Newport County, they’re more than happy to have reached this far, and they will play with house money.

Erik ten Hag’s boys can’t afford to fully underestimate their League Two opponents because Graham Coughlan’s side come into this game in fine form, having gone undefeated in seven consecutive games across all competitions (W4, D3).

Talking Points

Manchester United unveil their new goalie

With Andre Onana currently with the Cameroon national team for the AFCON, Erik ten Hag confirmed in a recent press conference that Altay Bayindir will finally get his much-awaited Manchester United debut against the Exiles on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag has high hopes for Bayindir, even if he has yet to play a single match for the Red Devils, given his experience in the Super Lig for Fenerbahce and with the Turkey national team.

Bayindir joined Manchester United last summer for a transfer fee worth £4.3 million. At 6’6”, the 25-year-old is taller and bigger than Andre Onana, making him theoretically a more capable shot stopper with his superior physical attributes.

A solid performance here would put Bayindir in Erik ten Hag’s good graces, which will, in turn, have Andre Onana sweating about his starting position.

Covering Bayindir at the back will be the likes of Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Diogo Dalot, while youngster Willy Kambwala is another option to join them should Harry Maguire or Jonny Evans not get cleared ahead of this contest.

In other team news, Anthony Martial is facing at least 10 weeks on the sidelines after undergoing groin surgery, while Mason Mount (calf), Victor Lindelof (groin), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Luke Shaw (hamstring), and Marcus Rashford (illness) are still in the medical room.

Evans is Newport County’s star man

There have been 12 different players who have found the back of the net for Newport County this season, and their leading scorer is Will Evans, who has tacked on 17 goals so far.

The 26-year-old’s road to football has been unconventional, as he rose from being a farmer to being the most important player for Newport County.

In his first season with the Exiles, Evans scored four goals in 52 appearances across all competitions, but that’s impressive considering he played at wing-back.

A date against Manchester United is definitely the biggest match of his life to date, so he will certainly bring his A-game in front of the fans at Rodney Parade this weekend.

History

Newport County and Manchester United are going to meet for the first time ever on Sunday.

Prior to this tie, the Exiles had won just one of their last 23 encounters against English top-flight opponents (D7, L15), with their lone victory being a 2-1 upset over Leicester City in the 2018-19 FA Cup.

Overall, Newport County have made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup eight times, but only twice have they managed to make it through the fifth round (1948–49 and 2018–19).

Manchester United have won 49 of their last 51 FA Cup ties against teams from outside the Premier League, only failing to do so against Leeds United in 2009-10 and Middlesbrough in 2021-22.

And on the road, the Red Devils are undefeated in 28 FA Cup games against non-top-flight sides since losing 2-0 to Bournemouth in January 1984.

Betting Tip

Manchester United are going to be the butt of jokes on the FA Cup 2024 news and social media if they somehow lose or draw to Newport County on Sunday.

That is because, in our in-house betting odds, they are 1.07 favourites to win, while Newport County are massive 16.50 underdogs, and a draw is at 9.50 in the 1X2 market.

If you’re a Red Devils supporter like this SBOTOP writer, you can consider going for Asian Handicap -3.00 at 2.16 or Asian Handicap -2.75 at 1.91.

But given their lack of attacking depth, as Erik ten Hag painfully admitted recently, I personally don’t envision the Red Devils scoring more than three goals en route to the win, hence our recommended bet above.

 

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