By Ian Palmer
The romance of the English FA Cup is still alive as lowly Cambridge United takes on mighty Manchester United at home at the Abbey Stadium this Friday, January 23rd. Cambridge United is the lowest-ranked team left in the 2014/15 FA Cup competition, which is the oldest domestic soccer trophy in the world, and are 76 positions behind their illustrious opponents. Cambridge heads into the fourth-round match in 12th place in League Two with 10 wins, 10 losses and five draws. They’ve scored 39 goals and allowed 29 against and have 35 points on the season. Man United on the other hand sits in fourth place in the English Premier League with 11 wins, four losses and seven draws for 40 points and have 36 goals while conceding 21.
Man United has won the FA Cup 11 times in their history, but Cambridge manager Richard Money know anything can happen in sports and isn’t about to concede the game before it even kicks off. He’s telling local fans that they should come to the game full of optimism because an upset could be possible. He added that he hopes both the soccer club and city will be showcased come Friday night and supporters should be vocal in support of the team. Money’s side hasn’t been beaten since the calendar flipped over to 2015 and he believes his players can ride the momentum. Their last game was a 4-0 win over Newport County and the manager believes that result has given his squad a lot of confidence.
Money told the media that his players just have to concentrate on their own game and play to their strengths rather than worry about the array of stars in the Man United lineup. Some of the players Cambridge could be facing are world-class internationals such as Wayne Rooney of England, Dutchman Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao of Colombia, Angel Di Maria of Argentina and Davide de Gea and Juan Mata of Spain. Money remarked, “I don’t think you can think too much about who the individuals are going to be, because they have a plethora of incredible talent, any of whom could play this Friday.”
For a small team, Cambridge has some big-game experience as they’ve won a couple of games at the famous Wembley Stadium over the past 12 months with victories in the FA Trophy and their Conference play-off final. The win in the playoff final enabled the club to return to the lowest tier of professional soccer in England after spending the previous nine years in non-league soccer. Cambridge and Man United have met twice before as they classed in a two-legged League Cup tie in back in 1991. The first match in Cambridge ended in a draw, but Man United advanced after winning the second leg 3-0 at home at Old Trafford.
Man United beat Queens Park Rangers last weekend, but head into Friday’s showdown with just two wins in their past five games. They also have a loss and pair of draws. They beat Yeovil Town 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup while Cambridge knocked out Luton Town by a 2-1 score. Cambridge might be unbeaten since the New Year, but have just one victory in their past five league encounters.
PinnacleSports Betting Line:
Cambridge United
- Handicap: +2, 1.877
- 1×2: 14.760
Manchester United
- Handicap: -2, 2.040
- 1×2: 1.224
Draw:
- 1×2: 7.1000
Game Total
- Over 3, 1.862 – Under 3, 2.040
