2
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has warned Erik ten Hag’s men that Newport County may resort to a number of tricks in order to gain a competitive advantage as the two sides prepare to meet on Sunday.
United are set to travel to Rodney Parade to take on County in a crucial fourth-round FA Cup clash.
The FA Cup represents United’s last real chance to lift some silverware during a season that has been very disappointing and Ten Hag will be wary of the League Two outfit causing a major upset by grabbing an unlikely victory.
Ahead of the match, County boss Graham Coughlan warned the Red Devils to expect a hostile atmosphere at Rodney Park.
Coughlan explained that his players, who have been working hard, will do everything possible to sink their Premier League opposition.
Berbatov spoke to Betfair (via The Manchester Evening News) and pointed out some of the tricks the Exiles may adopt in an effort to bridge the obvious gap in quality between themselves and United.
The Bulgarian said, “The facilities at Newport bring back memories for me when I used to play and we went to similar places.”
“Don’t be surprised if United go to Newport and they’re surprised by some of Newport’s pre-match tactics. A small team will try to do everything against the big team to get a win.”
“They could make the dressing room cold or hot, maybe making the pitch smaller or bigger or maybe the grass will be longer so the ball cannot move as freely.”
“Now, will Newport do that? Probably not but you never know. United’s players shouldn’t be surprised if there’s no hot water in the showers.”
“I cannot see anything but a win for United. My mind won’t understand the result if United lose this game.”
The match kicks off at 16:30 BST.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
