Manchester United v Middlesbrough: live stream, TV details, how to watch, injury news and predicted line-ups

Manchester United face Middlesbrough on Friday night in a fourth-round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford, with kick-off set for 8pm.

A lot has happened since the Red Devils were last in action, when Marcus Rashford’s injury-time winner handed United all three points against West Ham United on 22 January.

Since then, the talk around Old Trafford has centred on transfers, with Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek departing since that victory over the Hammers, while Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson remained at the club.

There were also no late additions to the Red Devils’ squad, meaning the same group of players who delivered such mixed performances and results in the first half of the season will hope for better fortune in the final months of the campaign.

Ralf Rangnick’s men made it to the fourth round thanks to a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the previous stage, and the clash with Boro kicks of 16 ties this weekend.

It’s also the start of a busy month for United, where they’ll play seven games across three competitions in February.

As for Middlesbrough, they’re pushing for promotion in the Championship and have won eight of the last 10 in all competitions under Chris Wilder.

The 54-year-old beat United last season while manager of Sheffield United and was in charge when the sides played out a hugely entertaining 3-3 draw at Bramall Lane in November 2019.

Middlesbrough’s squad also contains Northern Ireland international Paddy McNair, who came through the youth ranks at United and played 27 times for the club.

What’s the latest team news?

Speaking in Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Rangnick confirmed Paul Pogba would be involved for the first time in three months after recovering from a hamstring injury, while he also said Edinson Cavani, Victor Lindleof, Eric Bailly and Lingard will miss the game.

“Paul will be part of the group, he might even be in the starting XI,” the 63-year-old explained. “Edi Cavani will return at the weekend. He contacted me a week ago and asked me if he could have two more days at home. I allowed him because I knew he couldn’t be in the starting XI anyway because of jetlag with only coming back today or last night.

“He won’t be part of the group. Victor Lindelof has been ill all week and not training, so he will also miss out on tomorrow’s game. The same is true of Jesse, he asked me and the club if we could give him a couple of days away just so he could clear up his mind. He will be back in the group from next Monday.

“Eric Bailly, he came back yesterday, he has problems with a swollen ankle and will not be part of the squad for tomorrow. All of the other players will be available.”

Rangnick also confirmed Luke Shaw is likely to start, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka was pictured in training this week after a recent illness.

“Luke will be back,” said the German. “He will probably play from the beginning because Alex Telles only came back last night. He played for Brazil on Wednesday for 90 minutes.”

With Rangnick ruling Telles and Cavani out after their travels to South America, Fred is also unlikely to start on Friday night.

As for the opposition, Riley McGree will not make his debut for Middlesbrough after testing positive for Covid-19 while away on international duty with Australia

On-loan striker Flo Balogun didn’t play for Arsenal in the previous round and is an option for Wilder.

Predicted line-ups:

Manchester United (4-3-3-): Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Jones, Shaw; Matic, McTominay, Pogba; Sancho, Ronaldo, Elanga.

Middlesbrough (3-5-2): Lumley; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair; Jones, Crooks, Howson, Tavernier, Taylor; Sporar, Connolly.

Is the match on TV?

The game will be shown live in the UK on ITV 1, with the pre-match build-up beginning at 7:30pm. It can also be streamed via the ITV Hub.

How can I watch highlights?

The main moments can be watched after the game on the clubs’ respective websites, while the FA Cup’s YouTube channel will also bring post-match highlights. And follow Manchester World for live match action and player ratings on the final whistle.