League Cup [Preview]: Swansea City vs Manchester United

Swansea City host Manchester United in the fourth round of the League Cup on Tuesday night. The Swans have endured a tough start to their top-flight campaign, and they are presently lingering just above the drop zone in 15th spot with eight points. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have improved their showing from the previous campaign, but disappointing results against Liverpool and Huddersfield Town have seen them fall behind leaders Manchester City atop of the table. Jose Mourinho’s men are on 20 points after 13 games played, five adrift of the Citizens.

Previous outing:

Premier League – The last outing between the clubs was in August, where the Red Devils ran out 4-0 victors. United took a 1-0 lead at half-time courtesy of a close-range goal from Eric Bailly. The scores pretty much remained the same until the 80th minute where Mourinho’s side scored three goals in the space of just four minutes. Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial found the scoresheet during the interval.

Players to watch for:

Tammy Abraham – Swansea City: The Chelsea loanee has been an instant success at the Liberty Stadium with five goals scored in just 11 outings. Paul Clement’s side have struggled to replace the likes of Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson in their ranks, but Abraham has been a positive, having contributed the majority of the goals in the top-flight. The England youth international had a couple of tempting runs into the box during the previous meeting, and he could prove a menace for Victor Lindelof, who has looked vulnerable in the United backline.

Marcus Rashford – Manchester United: The England international has progressed into a top-class player at United in the space of 18 months. Rashford has scored in back-to-back games against Benfica and Huddersfield Town, and he is likely to get the chance to lead the line ahead of Romelu Lukaku on Tuesday night. The combination of Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard proved the difference against Burton Albion last month, and the Swans will have to be wary of their movement.

Prediction:

Swansea City 1-2 Manchester United

Image – Getty