Somerset, Jan 25 (IANS) Manchester United will be looking to continue their winning start in 2018 when they take on Yeovil Town in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at the Huish Park here on Friday.

The Somerset club are the lowest-ranked side left in this season’s competition and struggling at the bottom of League Two.

But the Manchester club will not underestimate the lower-league opponents as they look to make it five wins in a row and progress to the fifth round for the fifth time in six seasons.

For the second successive round, Jose Mourinho’s men will play on Friday night after goals from Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku saw off Championship side Derby County 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier this month.

Yeovil Town also known as the Glovers — who played in the Championship in 2013-14 are currently 22nd in the fourth tier and haven’t won in the league since Boxing Day.

But, threatened by the prospect of relegation to the National League, they have enjoyed a welcome distraction of a morale-boosting and money-spinning cup run.

Manchester United have won three previous meetings with the Glovers — all of which came in the FA Cup — and scored 13 goals without conceding in the process.

United won 3-0 back in 1938 and recorded the biggest-ever FA Cup success against Yeovil with an 8-0 thrashing in 1949.

The most recent encounter was in the third round in 2014-15 under former coach Louis van Gaal as United won 2-0 on their first visit to Huish Park in the Glovers’ 120-year history.

Chilean star Alexis Sanchez could make his eagerly anticipated debut for United after the forward completed his move from Arsenal on Monday, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving in the opposite direction.

Mourinho confirmed the new no.7 will be involved and he will field a “strong team” but rest “a couple of players”.

With Eric Bailly, Michael Carrick and Zlatan Ibrahimovic possibly the only absentees, Mourinho could be tempted to make several changes from last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Burnley but has previously spoken of the respect he has for the FA Cup and fielded a strong line-up in the last round against Derby.

Meanwhile, Yeovil will be without former United trainee and huge Reds fan Otis Khan, who will undoubtedly be disappointed to miss out as he starts a five-game ban after being sent off for pushing the referee in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at home to relegation rivals Chesterfield.

–IANS
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