Amidst countless on-field setbacks and off-field turmoil over the last few years, Manchester United have always been able to lean on domestic knockout play for some modicum of positivity amidst the league and European struggles.
With that again in play, Man United take on Championship side Coventry City in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley this weekend, looking for their second finals appearance in as many seasons and first win in this tournament since 2016.
The Red Devils are barely clinging to a European qualifying place in the Premier League table, sitting seventh with a trio of clubs right on their heels, but reaching a Cup final would provide a boost to the league run-in and give them another opportunity to snatch a spot in Europe.
Coventry City will be no pushovers at this stage — they have lost two straight in Championship play but are a popular pick to reach the playoff and make some noise for promotion. They dramatically knocked off Wolves in the FA Cup quarterfinals as American international Haji Wright bagged a 100th minute winner just moments after Ellis Simms had equalised deep into stoppage time.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Man United vs Coventry City and bet FA Cup matches
Man United vs Coventry City prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+380)
- Score prediction: Man United 2-2 Coventry City
There’s plenty of indication that Coventry City can compete in this match — or rather, Manchester United will allow them to hang around. The Sky Blues are fourth in the Championship in points from losing positions, having won four times and drawn six amidst 23 deficits this league season.
Coventry’s two-game losing streak appears worse than it actually was, thanks to primo opposition finishing and poor end product of their own, but on the season as a whole, especially in 2024, they’ve been a dangerous side. Man United are hard to predict, having taken one step forward and two steps back on numerous occasions, and if they let their level drop, they could be caught.
| BetMGM (USA) |
|
| Man United win (90 mins) |
-225 |
| Draw (90 mins) |
+380 |
| Coventry win (90 mins) |
+525 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: -155 N: +110 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals |
O: +115 U: -165 |
| Man United to advance |
-500 |
| Coventry City to advance |
+300 |
Man United vs Coventry City match facts
- Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024
- Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m. local (10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT)
- Location: Wembley Stadium (London, England)
- Referee: Robert Jones, VAR: Michael Salisbury
- Last meeting: Man United 0-2 Coventry City (Sep. 26, 2007 | League Cup)
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Man United vs Coventry City best bet
- Pick: Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
- Odds: -110 (BetMGM)
Both of these teams love to play games with inflated scorelines, and while a pick of both teams to score on its own doesn’t provide much value, pairing it with the over is a reasonable selection. Last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Birmingham stopped a streak of six straight games for the Sky Blues in which this would have been a winner.
Backing this play in Man United matches, meanwhile, would have been successful in 11 of their 16 games in 2024 across all competitions, including five of their last seven. Their nervy 4-2 win over Newport County in the fourth round of this competition shows they can be tested by lower-league opposition, and even a 2-0 win over Wigan the round prior saw their opponents miss a number of quality chances in front of net.
Man United vs Coventry City prop bet
- Pick: Bruno Fernandes anytime goal scorer
- Odds: +170 (BetMGM)
- Pick: Ellis Simms anytime goal scorer
- Odds: +275 (BetMGM)
Nobody is more red-hot for Manchester United in front of goal than Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker has had a truly wacky season — a year after challenging Kevin De Bruyne for the assists lead in the Premier League, his chance creation has utterly evaporated, while his goal scoring has spiked, especially since the start of March, when he has bagged five goals in his last five league games.
Fernandes is one of the few consistent options in front of goal for Erik ten Hag at the moment. In six league games since the start of March, Fernandes has scored five goals on 18 shots worth 2.76 xG. Only one other player, Alejandro Garnacho, has even registered double-digit shots in that span, while the likes of Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund have combined for four shots total.
On the flip side, American international Haji Wright has been a revelation for Coventry City, earning his way into a genuine spot in the U.S. national team conversation, but it’s been Ellis Simms who has lit the goal on fire over the past two months. The 23-year-old Everton youth product has 18 goals on the season across all competitions, one above Wright for team lead, and 14 of those have come since the start of February, including five across their last two FA Cup matches against Maidstone and Wolves. Wright is the team’s penalty taker, which gives him an edge in that department, but it’s Simms who’s on fire and will have played against some of the Man United starters in the English youth league.
Man United vs Coventry City live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | — | ESPN+ |
| Canada | Sportsnet | Sportsnet Now |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
As with every single FA Cup match through the 2023/24 competition, this semifinal will be streamed in the United States exclusively on ESPN+.
In Canada, the broadcast rights to the FA Cup are owned by Sportsnet, who will broadcast this match across their multitude of television and streaming platforms. Domestically in the UK, the rights to this match are owned by the BBC, who will televise the game on BBC One.
