Derby County vs Manchester United 06/03/20

6 March 2020

Derby County and Manchester United will face off in the FA Cup round of 16 at Pride Park this week, which will be their first H2H meeting since the Championship outfit eliminated United from the Carabao Cup in 2018.

A 3-1 away victory over Sheffield Wednesday last time out comes as a huge boost for Phillip Cocu’s side, who had failed to pick up a win in four consecutive games prior (D2, L2). But, at home, the Rams are enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run (W5, D2) despite both teams hitting the net on five of those occasions. Notably, Derby have shut out their rivals in the first half in all seven of the abovementioned matches. But, lapses in concentration in the late stages have seen three of their six goals conceded in that period come beyond the 80-minute mark. Yet, they’ve been an entertaining team to watch lately, as eight of their past nine matches have seen both teams score, with six producing over 3.5 goals.

Meanwhile, the visitors are in the midst of a purple patch, having won five of their last eight competitive games (D3). Each of those triumphs has been ‘to nil,’ with four coming via a multiple-goal margin. Delivering action from the get-go, the Red Devils have found the net in the first half in seven of their last eight outings, with 68.42% of their goals scored across those fixtures coming before halftime (13/19). They now head to the venue where they’ve won four of six games in the 21st century (D1, L1). Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be particularly interested in seeing his side avoid conceding the opening goal. Indeed, United lost four of the last six matches in which they’ve allowed the opener, drawing the other two, including a 1-1 draw with Everton at the weekend.