how to watch Man United vs Watford Live

After exiting the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage to local rivals City, Manchester United will be eyeing the FA Cup as a chance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to end his hoodoo at the last four. In 12 months he has lost as many domestic semi-finals as Sir Alex Ferguson did in 26 years. That record will not increase this weekend but the Red Devils will expect to get back to winning ways against Watford.

The Championship club changed their manager once more in December, appointing former Dinamo Tblisi boss Xisco Munoz, whose tenure began with a win over Norwich before his side slipped to defeat against Swansea on January 2. Not since 1978 have Watford won at Old Trafford, it will take something impressive indeed to end that run on Saturday. Here's how you can follow the game and more:

Viewing information

Date: Saturday, Jan. 7
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Old Trafford -- Manchester, United Kingdom
TV and live stream: ESPN+
Odds: Manchester United -333; Draw +400; Watford +850 (via William Hill Sportsbook)

Storylines

Manchester United: Against the side where he made his name in English football, Odion Ighalo could return to the Manchester United side for a rare appearance. The Nigerian, on loan from the Chinese Super League, has played just four games so far this season but Solskjaer confirmed he is in the squad for the third round tie.

"He's been training really well. I was just saying before, I don't know how many goals he scored, but he was the top scorer by a mile in the round-robin we just had in training."

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Watford: After a summer in which he was on United's radar without ever convincing them to get a deal done, Ismaila Sarr has a chance to show the Red Devils what they missed out on. The 22-year-old took his time to adapt to England in his first season with Watford but has continued the form he found in his side's doomed battle against the drop in the Championship, scoring four goals and providing five assists.

Prediction

Even a weakened United side ought to have the requisite quality to ease into the fourth round. PICK: Manchester United (-333)

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Benge's League Table: Lionel Messi, Mesut Ozil, Georginio Wijnaldum, ranking the best summer free agents

As the transfer window gets up and running, an intriguing summer of free agency looms on the horizon

By James Benge

22 hrs ago11 min read

Getty Images

Welcome to Benge's League Table. Every week James Benge will be ranking something, anything, in the Premier League (or in this case beyond) as he breaks down everything from the nerdiest tactics to the best kits, to the worst haircuts. This week, he assesses the most in demand free agents ahead of the summer.

In normal years football's free agency market is rather less wild than its equivalents in the NFL or NBA. The reasons for this are of course simple, player movement is altogether easier in a market with transfer fees and without salary caps and numerous other trade restrictions.

And yet the past year has been anything but normal, perhaps accelerating a trend Arsene Wenger predicted in 2017 where a growing number of star players are reaching the end of their contracts before making moves. The reasons for that are numerous enough to keep this column distracted from its true purpose – to rank stuff – but in general as salaries have risen at the biggest clubs so it has become more difficult for those players to move easily. When you earn hundreds of thousands a week there aren't many teams that can afford to keep you in the manner to which you are accustomed.

Of course that is not necessarily true of every player in this list, there are some who their current clubs would trip over themselves to garner with even greater riches, but certainly there are those among this group who would have been sold long ago if their employers had the chance. Particularly in an industry battling with the impact of COVID-19, there has always been a sense that the clock is ticking until the final days of some of these contracts.

The dawning of January at least brings some clarity over the status of many of these free agents, who are free to talk to clubs outside their current federation. For the likes of Mesut Ozil those conversations have already begun and they can earn themselves the sort of sizeable signing on bonus that might otherwise have gone to their current club as a transfer fee.

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There is talent aplenty in this list, including perhaps the greatest player of all time. There is quality aplenty to be snared without so much as a transfer fee this summer.

Honorable mentions: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Roma), Folarin Balogun (Arsenal), David Luiz (Arsenal), Theo Walcott (Everton), Kenny Lala (Strasbourg), Elseid Hysaj (Napoli), Fabian Schar (Newcastle), Josh King (Bournemouth)

25. Thiago Silva (Chelsea)

In part Silva drops down this list because Chelsea are expected to take up their option to extend the 36-year-old's contract, little wonder when he has firmly established himself as the fulcrum of Frank Lampard's defense. Even now, however, his appearances must be carefully managed and that will inevitably become even more true into the 2021-22 season.

24. Rui Silva (Granada)

Though Granada have not been quite the defensive force in La Liga this season that they were this and Silva himself has not been quite as good as he was in that campaign. But the player from 2019-20 would still be a valuable addition to any squad, one of only five players to make more than 100 saves in the Spanish top flight last season and doing so whilst conceding fewer goals than the expected goals value of the shots he faced.

23. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)

There are many on this list where the number of years of peak performance you might get from them is up for debate. With Ibrahimovic it is surely not; for all that he has defied so many doubters by inspiring Milan's title charge early in the season he turns 40 this year, the end is around the corner. That does not mean that in his twilight years he might not be able to offer game winning moments and, as has been crucial on his return to Italy, sage leadership to a young squad.

Olivier Giroud has continued to score goals even at 34 Getty Images

22. Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)

That Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo declared an interest in Giroud last month says everything about the enduring respect for the ageing forward, who has spent his career in England largely proving his doubters wrong with so many fine performances. Even at 34 he is consistently weighing in with goals in crucial moments for club and country.

21. Demarai Gray (Leicester City)

Rather more of a gamble on talent than some of the more proven names on this list but the best of Gray in a Leicester and Birmingham City shirt suggests it would be a punt worth maki

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