The FA Cup is in full swing, with all the big clubs finally entering the competition now that we’ve reached its third round. That means it’s time for Manchester United to wade into the fray, and with Jose Mourinho’s team riding high of late, they’ll be feeling confident as Championship side Reading come to Old Trafford.
Manchester United vs. Reading 2017: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The third round of the FA Cup is in full swing, and Jose Mourinho has some work to do.
Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
After too many recent years of struggle in the wake of the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United need all the good news they can get. That means they have to come out swinging in this match, something that could potentially be difficult on back of the exhausting holiday period of matches. But a win here could help propel United to much greater success down the final stretch of this season, despite the lesser opponent.
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BT Sport 2 (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO, Fox Sports Go (U.S.), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. local
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
Three big things to know
- Manchester United are in the midst of their best run of form all season, winning seven straight matches across all competitions while giving up just three goals in that run. They’ve finally gotten rolling under Jose Mourinho, and a deep run in the FA Cup — one that could easily end in lifting the trophy this season — would be just the ticket to firmly put United back onto the competitive map.
- Reading won’t be a pushover, though — they’ve been one of the toughest teams in the Championship this season. Currently standing in third place, they’re riding a three-match winning streak and have won eight of their last 10. They’ve also been ridiculously difficult to keep from scoring this season -- they’ve been shut out just five times all campaign long, and have scored at least twice in each of their eight recent wins. That’s impressive, and if United don’t take their attack seriously, things could end quite poorly for the hosts.
- Fans of the USMNT will want to keep a close watch on Reading midfielder Danny Williams. He’s played excellently for the Royals this season, scoring three goals and playing a workhorse role for his team, putting himself back into the picture for the USMNT. You can bet that new United States manager Bruce Arena will be watching, because his side needs more quality options — and if Williams plays well in this match, it could give him a big leg up in getting a roster spot the next time the full national side meets in March.
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