2009 kicks-off with long march to the St.Mary's
Southampton away
By Chris,
January 4 2009
Manchester United kick-off 2009 with a tricky F.A Cup tie on the south coast. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will pit their wits against Championship outfit Southampton at the St.Mary’s Stadium. If the Red Devils avoid defeat then the near-impossible dream of winning all five major trophies in one season would remain alive.
Southampton staged a famous F.A Cup upset back in 1976. The second-flight club beat heavy favourites United by a single-goal to lift the world-famous trophy for the only time in their history.
The Saints will be looking to stage a similarly big upset on Sunday afternoon as the Red Devils head to the south coast. A packed St.Mary's will hope the Cup can provide some tonic for Southampton's woeful league form - with the Hampshire club currently sitting second bottom of the Championship.
The home side will be hoping to welcome back Morgan Schneiderlin from a hamstring injury, but they'll be without defender Alex Pearce after his loan spell from Reading came to an end.
Sir Alex Ferguson may change things around slightly following Monday night's narrow win over Middlesbrough. However, the game will come to soon for defender Rio Ferdinand. The England star is still struggling with a back-problem and Fergie predicts that he'll return for the visit of Chelsea next Sunday.
Patrice Evra is still suspended, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo looks likely to be rested. There'll also be no place in the 18-man squad for Carlos Tevez after the Argentinean striker was given time off to visit family in South America. Meanwhile, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes both made big impressions from the substitute's bench against Boro and will be hoping for a chance to impress against Southampton.
Since their relegation from the top-flight in 2005, there have been few moments to cheer for Southampton fans. Their new stadium - a flashy but soulless dome - has witnessed more home defeats than Saints fans would care to remember and a series of financial problems has seen the club battling against the drop to League One. Their fans will be hoping for a dramatic change of fortune with an act of giantkilling on Sunday.
United, however, go into this game as massive favourites.