We simulated Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United to predict FA Cup third round clash

Manchester United will be looking to end their poor string of results away from home when they face Wigan in the FA Cup Third Round.

A 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in United’s last Premier League outing saw Erik ten Hag’s side end 2023 in eighth place, nine points behind the Champions League spots. The defeat was a fifth successive away game without victory, and United will be desperate to end that run on Monday night.

Despite most competing players having already departed for the African Cup of Nations, Andre Onana will be available for Ten Hag’s side, with the Cameroon international remaining with United until after the clash with Tottenham next week. Monday’s opponents are going through a tough run of form, with Wigan sitting 17th in League One.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Wigan could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Tickle; Clare, Hughes, Morrison, Sessegnon; Shaw, Adeeko; Godo, Lang, Jones; Magennis.

We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; McTominay, Mainoo, Fernandes; Antony, Hojlund, Rashford.

Ten Hag's side caused all sorts of problems for Wigan in the first half as they dominated possession, but as they have done all season, United struggled in the final third, with Antony and Marcus Rashford both wasteful on the ball. The second half saw the game become more open with the hosts starting to push further forward, and this worked in United's favour as they took the lead with 19 minutes to go.

A counterattack saw Scott McTominay carry the ball from box to