Coventry boss Mark Robins has scoffed at the “derisory” criticism of Manchester United, insisting his side’s FA Cup semi-final opponents remain the biggest football club on the planet.
Robins began his career at Old Trafford and his history with the club is firmly intertwined with the cup, with his third round winner against Nottingham Forest in 1990 often cited as the goal that saved Sir Alex Ferguson from the sack.
Ferguson’s latest successor in the hot seat, Erik ten Hag, could do with firming up his own position and could find himself on extremely rocky ground if the Red Devils were denied a shot at silverware by Championship opposition.
They are winless in four games since reaching the last four with a penalty shootout victory over Liverpool and sit seventh in the Premier League table, but Robins believes their problems have been overstated.
“People, pundits, are talking in a derisory way about Manchester United and what they’re doing, how they’re performing,” he said.
“For people who are talking about Manchester United are this or that, or they concede lots of shots: you’re talking about a team that is full of talented players, top international players. We know they are clearly favourites to win this game, by a million miles, simple as that.
“They can hurt anybody on their day. The game against Liverpool their goals were outstanding. So you’ve got a lot of things to consider, especially as a Championship club going up against the biggest club in the world.
“For Manchester United, this is a normal occasion. They play at Wembley a lot of times, there’s some England internationals there and other internationals who’ve played at Wembley on numerous occasions. It’s an expectation for them and their supporters; for us it’s slightly different.”
The Sky Blues booked their place in the last four with a dramatic 3-2 win over Wolves, with stoppage-time strikes from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright completing a remarkable upset.
The euphoria of that result has not carried in to their league form though, with three losses in their last four games leaving their play-off hopes – and regular games against the likes of United – all but over.
With that in mind, Robins has urged everyone connected to the club to make the most of the experience in front of them.
“We’ve already given the fans a special occasion getting there. Being in the national stadium with Manchester United, it doesn’t get much bigger than that,” he said.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for everyone and there’s a lot of excitement around the city. There is a global reach there for Coventry City, the world will be tuning in and it’s a great occasion for all of our players.”
One player who will not be part of City’s big day is Kasey Palmer, suspended after picking up a booking for encroaching on the pitch to celebrate the late triumph over Wolves.
“In the moment it’s the reaction we all made, you don’t necessarily think too much about it,” Said Robins.
“It was really poor but the rules are the rules and you’ve got to abide by them. Unfortunately for him and for us, we can’t use him.”
Flick: Barcelona need to learn how to win without Yamal
Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona to find a way to win without the absent Lamine Yamal, as he misses a second consecutive match with an ankle injury.
The 17-year-old missed their 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad which halted Barca's seven-match winning streak in all competitions before the international break.
Yamal has only missed two LaLiga matches since the start of last season, while Barcelona have lost both games this campaign in which he has not started, after coming off the bench in a 4-2 loss to Osasuna in September.
Flick said that his players need to show that they can win without their teenage sensation.
"Tomorrow I will put the question to the team, it will be a very good question for them [if they can win without Yamal]," Flick told a press conference on Friday.
"Against Real Sociedad, we didn't play well, and it wasn't because of Lamine's absence. He is a very important player for us, but we have options to also play well without him.
"He won't be able to play tomorrow, we don't know when he will be able to go back from his injury, but what is clear for me is that we want him to be back only when he is 100% recovered."
Yamal played a big role in Spain's European Championship title win earlier this year in Germany, winning the best goal and the Young Player of the Tournament award in his breakthrough campaign.
He continued to thrive this season with five goals and seven assists to help Barca to the top of the LaLiga standings on 33 points, six ahead of rivals Real Madrid, who have a game in hand in second place.
Yamal is also the only player across Europe's big five leagues to complete 25+ dribbles (34), create 25+ chances (26), have 25+ shots (39), score 5+ goals (five) and provide 5+ assists (seven).
Flick suggested that he may have to adjust his system, as it is hard to replace a player with such a mixture of speed, technique and finishing.
"We might be a bit limited by the absence of Lamine," Flick said.
"But we have a lot of players with great quality, and they can play in different positions. We'll see what we'll need and we'll design the game plan.
"It's always important after the international break to come back strong and with confidence. That's our goal for tomorrow."
Moca FC's Baez, Correa sanctioned by Concacaf Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in Carib Cup semis clash against Cavalier
The Concacaf Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned players Miguel Baez and Jesus Correa of Dominican Republic club Moca FC for incidents that occurred during their Concacaf Caribbean Cup second-leg semi-final match against Jamaica’s Cavalier FC on Thursday, October 30.
After considering the documentation and evidence gathered during its investigation and based on the competition regulations and the applicable disciplinary code, the Disciplinary Committee has imposed Miguel Baez a six-match suspension and Jesus Correa a three-match suspension for violent conduct.
The sanctions include the automatic one-match suspension for the on-field direct red cards given to each player during that 7-0 beating in Kingston.
Both Baez and Correa must serve their suspensions during the upcoming 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup third-place matches and future editions of the competition.
Moca FC is scheduled to meet Haiti's Real Hope FC in that home-and-away tie on November 26 and December 3 to determine the next Caribbean representative that will contest next year's Concacaf Champions Cup. Finalists Cavalier and Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic, have secured automatic berths.
Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Committee has also warned the players and the club that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during future matches.
Pareja sees no limit to what Orlando can achieve in playoffs
Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja is taking the playoffs one game at a time, with the Eastern Conference semifinals next up, but would love to bring the MLS Cup back to Florida.
The Lions are the highest-seeded team in the East, meaning they will have home advantage for the final if they make it past Atlanta United on Sunday.
They beat Charlotte FC in the first round, winning both of their home matches – the second on penalties – to advance, and Pareja remains hopeful his side can keep their playoff journey going.
"It's good [that the road to the final goes through Orlando]," he said. "I'm always optimistic to advance and have the advantage to play it at home and the next game.
"In Major League Soccer, anything can happen. I would love to not just advance to the final of the conference but to bring the MLS Cup here. Our responsibility is to play one game at a time, and we're going to be ready for this one for sure."
Atlanta, meanwhile, pulled off arguably one of the greatest upsets in playoff history when they knocked out MLS Cup favourites Inter Miami.
Having lost the first tie, they won the following two in the series to advance, having previously been given a slim chance of making the playoffs in the first place, getting through by beating Orlando 2-1 away on decision day.
Before another trip to Florida, Dax McCarty outlined the ways in which they can make it difficult for their hosts.
"It's a fine balance," he said. "You don't want to allow them to have too much of the ball, because then we get frustrated...
"We're just going to have to be sharp in all phases of the game, in transition and possession, because if we can keep the ball away from them, they don't want that, they'll get a little bit frustrated."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Facundo Torres
Facundo Torres' equalizing goal at 101:47 in Game 3 against Charlotte FC was the third-latest stoppage time goal in MLS history (regular season & playoffs).
It was also the second-latest result-changing goal (Tom Barlow – 90'+17 for New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes in 2023).
Atlanta United – Jamal Thiare
Jamal Thiare's two goals in 107 seconds in the first half of Atlanta’s Game 3 win over Inter Miami was the fastest a player has scored twice in a postseason match since Nicolas Mezquida scored two goals in 90 seconds for the Vancouver Whitecaps against San Jose in the 2017 playoffs.
MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN
This will be the first postseason meeting between Orlando and Atlanta. Orlando have four wins in 22 all-time meetings with the Five Stripes (D7 L11), including losing the only previous knockout match 2-0 in the 2019 US Open Cup semifinals.
Orlando have lost only one of their last 13 home matches in all competitions (W8 D4, including two penalty shootout wins and one penalty shootout loss). Orlando's only home defeat in that time was a 2-1 loss to Atlanta United on October 19.
Atlanta's 3-2 win at Miami in Game 3 on November 9 ended a six-match road winless run in the playoffs (D1, advancing in a penalty shoot-out, L5).
It was Atlanta's second-ever road playoff win after also beating NYCFC on the road in the 2018 conference semifinals.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Orlando City – 55.6%
Draw – 22.9%
Atlanta United – 21.5%
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