Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named Romelu Lukaku in his starting eleven for Manchester United’s huge FA Cup fifth round tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Juan Mata also starts for United after Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were ruled out following injuries sustained in the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
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“It is a big chance for Romelu Lukaku to start, he hasn’t started too many games. I hope for a big performance from him and Juan Mata,” Solskjaer told the BBC pre-match.
“We have to defend well against Chelsea but we want to impose ourselves and control the tempo of the game.”
The Norwegian understands the importance of tonight’s tie, in what represents a difficult challenge for his United side.
“It’s an important game, it’s a trophy that we can challenge for. It is one of the toughest opponents we could have but we have shown over the years that it’s a cup game that will be tight.”
Many United fans were expecting some involvement from youth stars Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong tonight, but both miss out from the squad entirely.
Solskjaer knows it will be difficult to land the United job if he doesn’t win the FA Cup and finish in the top four. This is a huge game/month for the Reds.
Check out the full team news from United’s twitter account below:
The news you've been waiting for — tonight's #MUFC team to face Chelsea in the #EmiratesFACup! 👇
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 18, 2019
