Manchester United will look to avoid a major cupset when they host Cambridge United in the FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday.
United were pretty poor in their first match against Cambridge, struggling to string together a decent attacking effort against a stubborn, well-drilled defence.
On another day, that match could have easily led to a major embarrassment, with Cambridge throwing away a couple of good chances in the first half of the game.
Louis Van Gaal was, of course, not a happy camper after the fourth round match, even if he refused to blame his players, instead choosing to point his finger at everything but.
Van Gaal was singing a similar tune heading into the fourth round replay at Old Trafford. "Everything is against you at Manchester United and everything is in favour of the underdog," said the Dutchman. "Also from you [media] but you shall not do it consciously but unconsciously -- it's human -- I forgive you.
"In spite of all the criticism we have had from you and your colleagues, we are still in the FA Cup and a lot of teams are not, so I'm still happy that we can play this match.
"But you have to win because they are coming also with two rows of four and a goalkeeper and dropping in a striker, and you have to make the first goal because that is the most important goal, so it's not such an easy game."
Chelsea and Manchester City have already suffered embarrassing FA Cup exits this season, and Manchester United will not want to join them on that particular list.
For Cambridge United, this game will be about embracing the occasion, and making sure they put in another strong 90-minute (or 120-minute) effort in front of 70-odd thousand fans.
"If you go to Las Vegas and you play those fruit machines and you win the jackpot -- that's probably what the draw was, in terms of Cambridge vs Man United," said the League Two side's manager Richard Money. "To get the replay probably means we bought a lottery ticket and won. Now we've bought a EuroMillions ticket.
"The percentage of chance diminishes because of it but because you've got a ticket you do have a chance. That's how I feel. To go there with no belief would be dangerous but we're well aware of the task in front of us."
Cambridge, no doubt, will apply the same tactics, even if they might expect to be pegged back more than they were at home, considering this replay will be played at Old Trafford. The longer they can frustrate Manchester United, the better their chances will get.
From United's point of view, if they score early, then the match could turn out to be a rout.
Where to Watch Live
The FA Cup fourth round replay is scheduled for a 7.45 pm GMT (1.15 am IST, 2.45 pm ET) start with live coverage in India on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD2. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
BT Sport 1 will show the FA Cup fourth round replay live in the UK, while viewers can also watch the match via live streaming online on Watch BT Sport. Audience in the UK can also listen to the game live on BBC Radio 5 Live or online.
Catch all the FA Cup action in the US live on Fox Sports 1 or via a live stream on FoxSoccer2Go. Audience in Canada can catch the game live on Sportsnet or Watch Sportsnet. Australia viewers can watch the match live on ESPN or Watch ESPN.
