FA 'forced to change' Manchester United vs Coventry City FA Cup kick-off time

The FA have reportedly been forced to change the kick-off time of Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final clash with Coventry City after it was deemed a 'high-risk' fixture.

United are set to face the Championship side at Wembley on Sunday 21 April, with Man City's clash against Chelsea due to take place the previous evening.

The Daily Mail reported that the FA had initially requested United's clash took place at 4pm on Sunday afternoon, but the kick-off time has now been brought forward by 30 minutes to 3:30pm after the Metropolitan Police raised concerns about the fixture. It is understood that a formal decision to bring forward the proposed kick-off time of the second semi-final will be confirmed at a meeting of the local Safety Advisory Group on Friday.

That means United and Coventry will already know their potential FA Cup final opponents before they face each other, with City and Chelsea set to clash at 5:30pm on Saturday 20 April.

United, who were runners-up in the competition last season, booked their place in the final four after a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Liverpool last weekend. Coventry produced a similar sensational victory when they struck twice late on to defeat Wolves 3-2.

Both of the semi-final ties will be available to watch on terrestrial television in the UK, with a formal announcement from the FA expected in the coming days.