Man Utd striker Romelu Lukaku should be too sharp for Reading

FA Cup third round
BT Sport 2, 12.30pm Saturday

Manchester United have won four games out of four since the appointment of interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and they are as short at 1-12 for an FA Cup victory over a Reading side who are also under new management.

While Solskjaer has brought back some joy to Old Trafford thanks to Premier League successes over Cardiff (5-1), Huddersfield (3-1), Bournemouth (4-1) and Newcastle (2-0), opposite number Jose Gomes is struggling to turn things around at Reading.

Less than ten minutes into his first Sky Bet Championship game at Millwall, the Royals were already losing 1-0 and down to ten men.

A creditable goalless draw at QPR followed but last weekend’s 4-1 home hammering by Swansea prompted talk of January sales as Gomes aims to slim down a bloated, underachieving squad.

A trip to Old Trafford, where Reading lost 4-0 at this stage of the cup two years ago, is a daunting assignment for a team lacking in confidence and with just one away win all season.

And Solskjaer’s pre-match bulletin on the United squad is unlikely to boost the visitors’ belief that they can spring a 35-1 cup shock.

Paul Pogba – whose form, for some unfathomable reason, has dramatically improved recently – is a doubt but Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku will be in the starting line-up.

The pair came off the bench to help United to a midweek victory at Newcastle, where Lukaku scored with his first touch, and Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial offer Solskjaer a wealth of attacking options.

United are predictably short in the main match markets, although big hitters might be tempted by the 1-2 that they are winning at half-time and at full-time – they have scored seven first-half goals in four league games since the departure of Mourinho.

In a one-sided betting heat it may pay to back Lukaku, who has four goals in his last six league appearances, to score at least twice against a struggling Reading defence.

Only three clubs have conceded more goals than the Royals in the Championship this term so Lukaku should be confident of extending a record of 12 goals in his last ten FA Cup starts for the Red Devils and Everton.

He demonstrated his striking calibre with five goals in four games for Belgium since the World Cup and is one of a number of United players who should enjoy a fresh start in the post-Mourinho era.

Recommendation
R Lukaku to score two or more goals
1pt 3-1 Betway

Bet on this match at Soccerbase.com

Team news
Manchester United
Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku will start but there are fitness doubts over Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini. Eric Bailly is suspended.

Reading
Tyler Blackett and Leandro Bacuna are banned but Chris Gunter and Liam Moore are pushing for recalls.

Key stat
Reading have won only one of their 13 away matches in the Sky Bet Championship this season

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