Preview: Bristol City v Manchester United; Kick-off: December 20, 20:00; Venue: Ashton Gate; Referee: Mike Dean
Manchester United travel to in-form Championship side Bristol City tonight with a spot in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup up for grabs.
United are the holders of the League Cup courtesy of their victory over Southampton in last season’s final, and while this competition would not have ranked high on Jose Mourinho’s priority list at the start of the season, the Red Devils are two wins away from a trip to Wembley once again.
It has been a routine progression to the last eight of this competition, with United beating Burton Albion 4-1 at Old Trafford in September before recording a 2-0 victory away to fellow Premier League side Swansea City on October 24.
United were kept away from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in the quarter-final draw, and despite Bristol City’s impressive form, it is a match that the Premier League side will expect to win.
Mourinho’s team will enter the game off the back of a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. The defeat to City earlier this month was damaging for a number of reasons, but United have responded to that loss by putting six points on the board.
They have made their best start to a Premier League campaign since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but City’s incredible form means that second-placed United are 11 points off the top of the Premier League.
The Red Devils will fancy their chances of overcoming Sevilla in the last-16 stage of the Champions League, and with City disappearing over the horizon, the cup competitions might well prove to be United’s best chance of landing more silverware this term.
United will enter Wednesday’s match off the back of three straight away wins, while they have not lost to a lower-league side in this competition since a 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in August 2014.
Mourinho will feel that he has bigger fish to fry as United prepare for a tough trip to Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend, but the Portuguese needs just one more League Cup winners’ medal to become the most successful manager in the history of the competition.
Bristol City are unquestionably the underdogs, but the Robins are now a team used to winning football matches. They have been victorious in each of their last four in the Championship, with that impressive run of form leaving them third in the table on 43 points.
Lee Johnson’s side have only lost once in all competitions since the middle of October, which has seen them launch an unlikely early push for promotion after just about surviving in the second tier last season.
The Championship outfit have had to beat three Premier League clubs to reach this stage of the competition – overcoming Watford, Stoke City and Crystal Palace. They thumped Palace 4-1 in the last round, and will have their eyes on their first League Cup semi-final since 1989.
Wednesday’s clash at Ashton Gate will bring the first meeting between Bristol City and United since 1980, when the Red Devils recorded a 4-0 victory at Old Trafford in the first division. They have actually not locked horns in a cup match since the FA Cup final in 1909, which United won 1-0 courtesy of a first-half effort from Sandy Turnbull.
Team news
Paul Pogba is available for United after serving a three-game domestic suspension, and the Frenchman could start ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Leicester at the King Power Stadium.
Sergio Romero, Axel Tuanzebe, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind are also expected to be handed places in the XI as Mourinho shuffles his pack, while there could be a first start of the season for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be involved as the Armenian battles to save his United career.
Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Ashley Young are among those that should be given the night off, while Antonio Valencia is unavailable after picking up a hamstring injury against West Brom at the weekend.
Bristol City boss Johnson has plenty to consider when it comes to team selection, with the 36-year-old expected to be missing eight first-team players for the clash against the 20-time English champions.
Jonathan Leko and Cauley Woodrow are both cup tied after featuring for West Bromwich Albion and Fulham respectively earlier in the competition.
Famara Diedhiou, Eros Pisano, Jens Hegeler, Callum O’Dowda and Gary O’Neil will also miss out, while Bosnian attacker Milan Duric will undergo groin surgery before the game.
Bobby Reid is Bristol City’s leading scorer this season with 11 in all competitions, and the 24-year-old is expected to lead the line.
Expected starting lineups:
Bristol City: Steele; Wright, Flint, Baker, Magnusson; Brownhill, Pack, Smith, Bryan; Paterson, Reid
United: Romero: Tuanzebe, Lindelof, Rojo; Darmian, Pogba, McTominay, Blind; Rashford, Ibrahimovic, Mata
Did you know?
United have only won 15 of their previous 35 meetings with Bristol City in all competitions, although it is more than 37 years since the pair last clashed.
Prediction
Bristol City will enter the match full of confidence following a strong run of form in the Championship, and they have already beaten three Premier League clubs to reach the quarter-finals of this season’s EFL Cup.
United are in impressive form on their travels, however, and I expect Mourinho’s side to grind out a narrow win at Ashton Gate to march into the semi-finals.
Score prediction: Bristol City 1-2 Manchester United