Manchester United will be hoping to maintain their hopes of retaining their FA Cup crown when they welcome Fulham to Old Trafford in the fifth round of the competition this afternoon.
United got back to winning ways in midweek with a spirited 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League. Harry Maguire headed in a second half winner after Patrick Dorgu was earlier sent-off.
Having got back on track, United will now be determined to build on their triumph over the Tractor Boys and progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the tenth time in 11 seasons.
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Here are five things to look out for this afternoon:
Wing-back weakness
With Dorgu sitting out the first game of his three-match domestic ban this afternoon, head coach Ruben Amorim finds himself incredibly short on options in the wing-back department.
It means Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot are almost guaranteed to start in the right and left wing-back berths respectively. They are the only solutions to the latest headache Amorim has been given.
Neither Mazraoui or Dalot have demonstrated they have what it takes to flourish in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system, where the onus is on the wing-backs to provide the width and offer so much running power. A player of Dorgu's athletic profile, however, is a perfect fit.
His absence is a huge blow for Amorim, who leapt to the former Lecce man's defence after his red card in midweek. The fact he is going to have to rely on Mazraoui and Dalot in the wing-back roles ought to highlight just how important it will be for United to invest in that area of the team again this summer.
Try and build some momentum
How many times have we said that about United this season? As soon as they have appeared to have taken one step forward, they have taken two steps back.
The midweek win over Ipswich by no means vintage or memorable, but it did show that this crop of United players are still prepared to roll up their sleeves and fight. It marked their second successive home win, both of which have been sealed via a Maguire header.
The opportunity to chalk up a third straight home win across all competitions for the first time since a run of four came to an end at the start of December cannot be sniffed at. The FA Cup offers United their last hope of salvaging something from their domestic campaign and they should be putting everything into it to try and reach the last-eight.
United's home form has been a massive problem this season, highlighted by their tally of seven Old Trafford defeats. If they are to make the progress they need to, they need to try and make M16 a fortress again.
Fulham's away record
Since being beaten 1-0 by United at Old Trafford on the opening night of the Premier League season back in August, Fulham have only lost two away games in regulation time across all competitions.
Their last defeat on the road came in a 3-2 reverse to West Ham United on January 14. They travel north having won each of their last four away matches.
Winning at Old Trafford in the league just over a year ago, thanks to a late winner from Alex Iwobi, Marco Silva's men know what it takes to get the job done on this particular patch. United will not be in for an easy ride.
Heaven to make his bow?
The visit of Fulham marks the first of five games for United in the space of just 15 days before the season pauses for the final international break of the season later this month, meaning rotation will be required over the next fortnight.
However, the squad is currently decimated by injury and suspension-related issues, so much so that the list of absentees this afternoon will be into double figures. A lack of senior options has seen Amorim forced into drafting several academy players into the squad for recent matches.
However, 18-year-old Ayden Heaven was signed in the January transfer window to go straight into the first-team squad. He has been named on the bench for each of the last four games.
But with the fixture list poised to become congested again, an opportunity may finally present itself for the centre-back to make his bow. Lisandro Martinez is out for the rest of the season and Amorim cannot risk running Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Maguire into the ground.
Don't leave early
When United and Fulham meet, late drama is usually part of the script, with seven of the last eight meetings producing at least one goal beyond the 75th minute.
United beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage in January via a 78th-minute winner from Martinez and required an 87th-minute winner from Joshua Zirkzee to seal all three points back in August. Both league games last season were settled by injury-time winners, too.
When they last met in the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage in March 2023, United trailed 1-0 heading into the last 15 minutes before flipping the game on its head via a Bruno Fernandes brace and an effort from Marcel Sabitzer to seal a 3-1 win and a place at Wembley.
