Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's match between
Manchester United and
Burton Albion at Old Trafford!
The hosts are heavy favourites heading into this one, with a history which far outweighs the modest one of Burton and looking to rediscover their former glories this season. For Burton, though, the prospect of winning at Old Trafford could be the highlight of many of these players' careers, so they will certainly be up for this one.
Before we take a closer look at both sides, let's first check out the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Darmian, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Carrick, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Martial; Rashford
MAN UTD SUBS: Pereira, Jones, Shaw, Young, McTominay, Fellaini, Lukaku
BURTON STARTING XI: Ripley; Flanagan, Turner, Naylor, Lund, Dyer, Allen, Palmer, Mason, Varney, Akpan
BURTON SUBS: Campbell, Warnock, McFadzean, Murphy, Akins, Sordell, Scannell
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, it is no surprise to see a lot of changes made by Jose Mourinho this evening as he rests players for competitions of a higher priority, with the United boss making no fewer than nine alterations to the side which started the win over Everton at the weekend. Rashford and Mata are the only players to keep their place in the side for this evening's game.
The in-form Romelu Lukaku is one of the players to drop out of the starting XI, although the Belgian is included on the bench having taken his total to seven goals in seven appearances since joining the club by scoring against his former employers at the weekend.
The lineup released by the club suggests that Rashford will be given the opportunity to play through the middle in Lukaku's absence, having been forced to feature in the wider role so far this season.
Anthony Martial, who didn't start at the weekend but came off the bench to score, is one of those to come in, and it looks as though Mourinho will revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation this evening. Should that be the case then it is likely to be Martial and Lingard on the wings, while Mata operates in his favoured number 10 role. United may not be at full strength tonight, but there should still be enough attacking power there to fire them past Burton.
There are a couple of changes further back in midfield which will prove popular amongst United fans as Herrera and Carrick get the nod in the middle the park - the latter of whom inherited the captain's armband from Wayne Rooney this summer.
Carrick played an integral role in United's season last term but is only expected to play a bit-part role this time around; Herrera, on the other hand, will have been hoping to be more involved than he has been so far. He has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Matic - and is seemingly behind Pogba, Matic and Fellaini now - but he gets his chance tonight.
It is all change at the back for United as Valencia, Bailly, Jones and Young all drop out from the weekend win over Everton. Valencia scored the opening goal in that game - and what a goal it was too - but he is given the night off completely tonight along with Bailly.
Jones and Young are amongst the subs, though, alongside Luke Shaw who could be in line to make his first appearance of the season. The full-back has now recovered from injury, but his relationship with Mourinho still seems fraught following some public criticism last season.
There is also a change between the sticks for the home side tonight as Romero replace De Gea in the starting lineup, as he is expected to do so for all of the cup competitions this season. Romero is certainly not a bad goalkeeper to have in reserve, but even so, the fact that De Gea is not tending the goal will give the Burton strikers a little more hope that they might be able to breach this United defence.
Burton have also made nine changes for this match, which is perhaps less expected than United's wholesale changes due to this being such a big game for the visitors. Turner and Allen are the only players who keep their place from the weekend win over Fulham, and of the other nine to make way only one is enforced, with Jay Brayford cup-tied in this competition.
There are even seven changes from Burton's last
EFL Cup clash against Cardiff, with Ripley, Flanagan, Turner and Palmer the only players to keep their place from that side. No Burton player has scored more than one league goal this season so there is not one overwhelming danger man for United out look out for this evening, but the squad does include plenty of players with top-flight experience.
There is no doubt that United come into this match as the overwhelming favourites to progress into the fourth round - which would be the case even if they hadn't made such a strong start to the season.
As it happens, though, United have been one of the most impressive teams so far this term and come into this game level on both points and goal difference with local rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. It should be noted that United have had kinder fixtures to start the season than many of their rivals, but you can only beat what is put in front of you and so far United have done that to great effect.
Indeed, the only league match United have failed to win so far this season was a 2-2 draw at Stoke City, where they have a historically poor record anyway. Two dropped points from the first 15 available represents their best start to a league season since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, though, and they have already been top of the league for more time this season than in the four years combined since Ferguson's retirement, so things certainly seem to be heading in the right direction for Mourinho's side.
It was a hugely disappointing season for United in the league last term, but there was some significant consolation elsewhere - both in this competition and the Europa League.
One of the biggest problems last term was the number of dropped points at home - particularly via drawn games - but that is not an issue United have had so far this season with four wins from a possible four here at Old Trafford - all without conceding a single goal.
Another clean sheet tonight would see them keep six in a row at home for the first time since December 2015, while a victory coupled with a clean sheet would be their best run of home form in a single campaign for more than a decade - 2006 was the last time they won five home games on the bounce without conceding.
You have to go back more than a year for United's last home defeat in any competitions, a run which stretches 33 matches and includes 22 wins and 11 draws.
It is almost 10 years since United last lost an EFL Cup match inside 90 minutes here at Old Trafford, with their last such defeat coming at the hands of Coventry City in the third round in September.
Since then the Red Devils have been knocked out at home twice on penalties and once via extra time, but they have won 15 of their last 18 EFL Cup outings in front of their own fans.
However, United have been eliminated from this competition in two of their last three home ties against lower-league opposition - most recently losing out to Middlesbrough in a penalty shootout in October 2015.
The hosts usually do get past at least this stage, though, reaching at least the fourth round in eight of the nine seasons - with the exception coming in that infamous 4-0 second-round defeat at the hands of MK Dons in 2014-15.
United's pedigree in this competition obviously far outweighs that of Burton, and Mourinho's side come into this season as the holders having beaten Northampton, Man City, West Ham, Hull and Southampton on the way to the trophy last season.
The 3-2 victory over Southampton at Wembley handed Mourinho his first major piece of silverware as manager of the club, and repeating the feat this season would see them become the first team to retain the trophy since they themselves did it in 2009 and 2010.
It is a daunting task for Burton, then, particularly considering the visitors have never made it past the third round before. Indeed, this is only the third time they have ever reached this stage of the competition, and on the previous two occasions they lost to teams in the second and third tiers.
This is, of course, another level up from that entirely, so not many will be expecting Burton to threaten an upset tonight.
Burton may be a Championship side now, but they are still relatively new to such dizzy heights and go into this season with their eyes set on avoiding relegation first and foremost, rather than any grand designs of reaching the Premier League and facing teams like Manchester United on a regular basis.
Burton were still a non-league side less than a decade ago, so it has been a pretty rapid rise to their level at the moment and they will just be enjoying it while it lasts right now.
It has been a mixed start to the Championship season for Burton, but they seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks and they come into this match in fairly good form.
Having lost all of their opening three Championship outings, Burton have since beaten Birmingham and Fulham as well as drawing with Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich - the latter three of whom are all expected to challenge for the playoffs this season. There was a 5-0 defeat to Leeds in the midst of all that, but that is their only loss in their last six outings.
Despite their improvement in recent weeks, Burton still sit in the lower reaches of the Championship table. Clough's side are 19th in the standings right now, four points clear of the relegation zone having won two, drawn two and lost four of their eight games so far.
The concern for Clough will be that his side's goal difference has been poor so far, with only bottom club Bolton having conceded more and only the bottom two - Bolton and Birmingham - having scored fewer.
Burton have played six away matches already this season and have only won two of those, but the good news is that both of those victories have come in this competition. The Brewers entered this competition in the first round and beat Oldham Athletic 3-2 before overcoming Championship rivals Cardiff 2-1 to reach this stage.
The reward of a trip to Old Trafford will, of course, make that all worthwhile, and anything extra tonight will just be a bonus for the visitors.
Burton have failed to score in three of their four Championship away games so far this season, though, and another blank tonight would see them go three away games without scoring for the first time since November 2016.
It is a different story in the EFL Cup where Burton have won their last four away games and have not been beaten on the road in normal time since a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Reading in August 2009.
Burton's EFL Cup history is relatively short, and they have only ever faced Premier League opposition on three occasions in the past. Of those, the Brewers have been eliminated twice and gone through once - beating QPR in August 2014.
Burton's most recent EFL Cup game against Premier League opposition saw them swept aside by Liverpool, though, as Klopp's side ran out 5-0 winners in the second round last season.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!
There only looks like being one winner tonight - United have named a weakened starting XI as expected, but there are still plenty of players in there who would not look out of place in a Mourinho team to start a Premier League game, so they should have enough to see them through here. A comfortable home win on the cards!
Sports Mole says: Manchester United 3-0 Burton Albion
These two sides have only ever met on two previous occasions, and both of those came in the FA Cup third round more than 10 years ago. Burton fans will remember it a lot more clearly than United as, then in the Conference, the Brewers held Sir Alex Ferguson's side to a goalless draw at the Pirelli Stadium in January 2006.
Nigel Clough was the player-manager again then, so he knows what it is like to come up against this calibre of opposition.
United even brought on Ronaldo and Rooney in that game without managing to make the breakthrough, but Ferguson's side did assert the dominance in the replay at Old Trafford. Louis Saha, Giuseppe Rossi (2), Kieran Richardson and Ryan Giggs were all on the scoresheet as United ran out 5-0 winners, but Burton still made a good amount of money from the tie having recorded one of their greatest ever results.
Burton are undoubtedly a better team now than they were then, but there still won't be many people backing them to come away from this match with anything. There has to be an outcome tonight, whether it goes to extra time or penalties, but United will not be expecting it to go that far.
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here as Burton look to pull off a giant killing at Old Trafford. Before we get started, though, let's have a reminder of the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Darmian, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Carrick, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Martial; Rashford
BURTON STARTING XI: Ripley; Flanagan, Turner, Naylor, Lund, Dyer, Allen, Palmer, Mason, Varney, Akpan
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Burton Albion get us underway at Old Trafford!
SAVE! Positive start from the visitors, and they have the first shot on goal after just three minutes. Varney is the man who finds a bit of space, but his effort is easy enough for Romero.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Burton (Marcus Rashford)
It is a nightmare start to the game for Burton as United take the lead inside five minutes at Old Trafford!
Carrick fires a pacey low pass into the feet of Lingard inside the area, and the United midfielder produces a lovely touch to poke the ball away from a defender and tee up Rashford. The striker at first doesn't seem to read it, but he is quick on to it and dinks a cool finish past the keeper.
CHANCE! United almost make it a quickfire double as Lingard races through on goal, but his low drive is well blocked by a sliding Naylor. Big chance for the hosts to perhaps kill this game off in double-quick time.
Burton respond well themselves and Varney shows some good footwork to create space to shoot just outside the area, but his low drive is easy for Romero to collect.
SAVE! United are quickly back on the front foot and threaten a second again, but this time Martial's shot is tame enough for Ripley to make a comfortable stop.
Not an ideal opening 10 minutes for Burton, then.
Nigel Clough would have wanted his side to keep things tight for as long as possible tonight but, just as was the case at the weekend, United did not need long to break the deadlock. It is even more of an uphill battle for the visitors now.
UPDATE: It is all going to plan for the Premier League's big boys so far tonight. Manchester City took an even earlier lead than United away to West Brom, while Chelsea are two goals up against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal have just broken the deadlock against Doncaster.
Darmian brings down Dyer in a dangerous crossing position to hand Burton a good chance to put United under pressure, and the subsequent ball into the box is not dealt with by Romero. Nothing comes of the keeper spilling the ball, but it was not a confident piece of play from the United keeper.
An interesting statistic for United fans, particularly considering Rashford has spent most of his time playing in a wider role...
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Burton Albion (Marcus Rashford)
Burton had responded quite well to their early setback, but just like that they are two down and probably out of the game as a contest.
It is Rashford who does the damage again, this time from dropping deep and firing a pinpoint finish in off the post. The striker was given too much space, but he still had a lot to do when he collected the ball 25 yards from goal. He only had one thought in his mind, though, spinning on the ball and firing an effort past the keeper and in off the woodwork. Clinical.
United look for a third on the counter-attack as Martial races down the left flank, but this time Flanagan tracks him well and makes a good challenge which rebounds off the winger and behind for a goal kick.
Another one for you fact fans. Could Rashford challenge Lukaku for the central striking role on a regular basis as the season progresses?
CHANCE! Patient passing move from United as they pile the pressure on Burton. Rashford eventually feeds the ball into Mata inside the area, but his shot is straight at the keeper. The visitors have their backs to the wall at the moment, though.
United are looking so confident at the moment and seem capable of scoring almost every time they come forward. The hosts were too lethargic at Old Trafford at times last season, but they have been all action so far tonight. So far so good for Mourinho's men.
CHANCE! Another chance for United as Mata prods a clever ball through for Martial inside the box, leaving the winger with only Ripley to beat. The keeper is out quickly, though, and makes a big save before collecting Rashford's rebound header comfortably.
CHANCE! Big chance for Burton to perhaps give themselves a lifeline in this match! Ripley does really well to fend off Lindelof before playing the ball in for Mason, who tries to dink his finish over the keeper. Romero reads it, though, and makes a big save to keep United two goals ahead.
OFF THE POST! End-to-end stuff at Old Trafford at the moment! Having seen one chance go begging moments earlier, Burton are suddenly reliant on the post to keep them just two down. Mata nutmegs one defender in the box to leave himself with a great chance, but his low drive strikes the foot of the upright. Darmian collects the rebound and stands it back up into the middle, but Rashford's acrobatic effort is well blocked by Flanagan.
Burton will probably be fairly content to be only two goals down here so far. They have been on the back foot from the first whistle, and it only seems like a matter of time before United add to their lead.
SAVE! It is turning into a busy night for Burton keeper Ripley, and he is called into another stop here to deny Mata's 20-yard strike.
More good play from United as they pick another way through the Burton defence, but Martial is just a fraction short of putting the finishing touch to a move he also started.
Ten minutes remaining until half time in this match and United still look in complete control. It was always going to be a difficult evening for Burton, but that early United goal really left them with a mountain to climb.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-0 Burton Albion (Jesse Lingard)
This one may go down as an own goal for Turner, but whoever gets credited with it, it is the goal which well and truly ends any hope for Burton.
Rashford is again involved in the buildup, playing the ball to Martial who in turn drives forward before giving it on to Lingard. There is a huge element of luck about it as Lingard's effort takes a major deflection off the leg of Burton, sending the keeper the wrong way and nestling into the corner.
It may only be Burton Albion, but this has been a very convincing display from United. They have wrapped this game up before half time and, if he wants to, Mourinho could rest even players during the second half now.
Lingard races into the box again, getting behind the defence down the right flank this time before going down under the challenge of Turner. He asks for a penalty, but the referee says no.
YELLOW CARD! Akpan is the first name in the book for a rash challenge on Lingard, which arrived late and heavy. No complaints there.
Collision in the middle of the park as Varney climbs high and catches Smalling in the neck with his knee, but the referee gives Burton the free kick. Smalling can't quite believe it.
There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 3-0 Burton Albion
The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, and in truth the match is over as a contest already. United lead Burton Albion 3-0 at Old Trafford, and the lead does not flatter the hosts at all. Mourinho's side have been dominant from start to finish and already have one foot firmly in the fourth round of this competition.
It took United just five minutes to break the deadlock as Burton's game plan went out of the window immediately, with Marcus Rashford opening the scoring. Carrick fed the ball into Lingard, who produced a lovely lay-off for Rashford inside the area. That left the striker with only the keeper to beat, and he did so with aplomb, chipping a cool finish into the corner.
Rashford doubled his personal tally for the evening just 12 minutes later, this time firing a clinical strike in off the post to leave the keeper no chance. The youngster has made a real impact through the middle tonight and will fancy his chance of getting a hat-trick if the second half is anything like the first. There are certainly more goals in this one for the Red Devils.
© Offside
United had their third goal of the evening with just under 10 minutes to go until half time, although this time there was a big element of luck about it. Martial played the ball into the path of Lingard, whose 25-yard effort took a big deflection off Turner to leave the keeper no chance. It may well go down as a Turner own goal, but Lingard will be claiming it.
KICKOFF: Manchester United get us back underway, and there are some changes to tell you about. One for United as Luke Shaw comes on in place of Mata, while Luke Murphy and Stephen Warnock come on for Turner and Allen.
CHANCE! Big chance for Burton to make a perfect start to this second half as Palmer floats a free kick into the area. Akpan has escaped the attention of Rashford, but gets his stooping header all wrong. The ball ends up a long way off target, but that was a very presentable chance for the visitors.
What a way to announce your return to the team this would have been! Luke Shaw darts in behind the defence to latch on to a long pass over the top and tucks his subsequent finish into the bottom corner, but the whistle has already gone for a very tight offside call.
It has been a fairly solid start to this half from Burton, who must surely be in damage limitation mode now. They are highly unlikely to get back into this game - even if they do get a goal back - but they are looking more solid at the back at least now.
There have been one or two sights of goal for Burton tonight, and if they had been a little more clinical then this one might not be over at this stage. Another ball arrives into the box here, but Varney cannot make anything of it despite it dropping at his feet.
United have taken their foot off the pedal a little since the interval, knowing that this one is already sewn up. They looked permanently dangerous in the opening 45 minutes but have failed to threaten so far in this second half.
CHANCE! Some patient passing from United gives way to a stunning solo run for Martial, who jinks his way past three or four defenders on his way into the box. One final feint leaves him with only the keeper to beat, but the only thing missing is the finish as Ripley gets down to deny the low effort.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-0 Burton Albion (Anthony Martial)
It is another four-goal show for United as Anthony Martial gets in on the act!
Lingard feeds the ball to the feet of the Frenchman, who flicks it on towards Rashford. Turner should cut it out, but he misses his kick and Rashford is onto it as quick as a flash. He plays the ball into the path of Martiak, who continues his run, and the winger makes no mistake with only the keeper to beat.
United are queuing up to score at the moment. Rashford is at the front of that queue as he searches for his first United hat-trick, and after one dummy which sends two defenders for hot dogs he sees his eventual effort blocked.
MAN UTD SUB: There will be no hat-trick from Rashford after all as he is replaced by Scott McTominay.
There are tougher tests to come for United this season, but there is no denying that they have been very impressive so far this campaign. Burton weren't expected to come away from Old Trafford with a win tonight, but the hosts have done the job in a professional manner and the result has never looked in doubt.
Just over 20 minutes remaining in this one and, while United aren't exactly pushing for a fourth goal, they definitely believe there are more in this game for them. This one could be five or six if they wanted it.
Most players will be going through the motion in this final 20 minutes, but for the likes of Shaw and McTominay it is still an important chance to impress Mourinho. They will not want to let up and show Burton any mercy here.
YELLOW CARD! Warnock - a former Liverpool player - goes into the book for a sliding challenge on McTominay which came nowhere near the ball. Once again, no complaints.
UPDATE: A quick update from elsewhere in this competition this evening - Arsenal lead Doncaster 1-0, Chelsea are 5-0 up against Nottingham Forest, Everton lead Sunderland 3-0 and Manchester City are being held 1-1 by West Brom.
Good spell of possession from Burton, who have done a good job of staying compact and avoiding any substantial further damage in this second half.
It only looks as though things will get worse for Burton as long as this match goes on, though, so they would be happy for the final whistle to go now.
BURTON SUB: The visitors make their final change of the night as Akpan is replaced by Lukas Akins.
MAN UTD SUB: United also make their third change of the evening, and it is an interesting one as Joel Pereira replaces Romero.
CHANCE! United almost add a fifth to their tally as Lingard slides a pass in behind the defence for Martial, who holds off a defender but then puts his low shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.
Lund is penalised for a foul - three or four fouls, actually - but the referee opts for leniency with only eight minutes remaining.
Play stops for a moment as a stray shoe is retrieved from the field having seemingly been thrown onto the field from the stands.
SHOT! Good play from Mason as he escapes his marker in midfield before driving forward and giving the ball on to Dyer. The winger cuts inside and goes for goal, but his strike rises a couple of yards over the top.
CLOSE! Martial is so close to helping himself to a second and a fifth for United on the night. He stands over a free kick in a dangerous position and curls his effort over the wall, but it ripples the side-netting with the keeper rooted to the spot.
There will be one added minute at the end of this match.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-1 Burton Albion (Lloyd Dyer)
United's run of home clean sheets comes to an end right at the death, and it is a messy-messy goal too. A header comes off the bar as United fail to completely clear their lines from a corner, and Pereira makes a mess of dealing with the dropping ball. He spills it towards his own goal before it is hooked away, but only as far as Dyer, who fires the finish in. The first goal United have conceded at home this season!
FULL TIME: Manchester United 4-1 Burton Albion
A routine win and a straightforward evening for United, then, as they continue their 100% home record this season - albeit at the expense of their clean sheet record following Burton's late consolation.
The match was over as a contest by half time, though, with Rashford scoring a brace and Lingard adding a third in the opening 45 minutes to leave the holders in complete control. Martial then got in on the act in the second half, and the only blemish on United's performance tonight was that late strike from Dyer.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's match as United cruise into the last 16 of the EFL Cup at the expense of Burton Albion. I will leave you with our
match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
