A RESURGENT Manchester United outfit will be looking to continue their confident run of form when they take on a beleaguered Royals outfit in the third-round of the FA Cup (12.30pm KO).

The Red Devils have been riding a wave of confidence since ditching their old boss Jose Mourinho.

After two and a half years in charge, he was replaced by club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

There is a completely different feel about United’s season now, with star players starting to deliver the sort of performances associated with their hefty price tags.

Solskjær scored 91 goals in his 11-year stay at the club and he has been tasked with turning Manchester’s season around after they fell 19 points behind Liverpool in the league.

The interim boss has re-established free-flowing football to Old Trafford and the performances of Paul Pogba in particular have experienced a resurgence since Mourinho left.

Reading Chronicle:

By comparison, Royals are experiencing a season they would never have foreseen when they were one kick away from being promoted to the Premier League in 2017.

Having narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship last season, they face an uphill battle to do the same again this year.

Liam Moore, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Danny Loader and Callum Harriott could all be involved, while Chris Gunter could return from injury.

Harriott scored Reading's consolation goal against Swansea City last weekend on his first appearance for more than two years.

United have lost only once in 14 FA Cup matches against Reading and are unbeaten since a third-round replay, which took place all the way back in 1927.

They are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions against Reading, a run that started in 1936.

It is the seventh season in a row where Reading will start their FA Cup campaign on the road.

Reading Chronicle:

This has seen a mixture of fortunes, with Royals recording two wins, two draws and two defeats in previous third-round ties.

During 2018, Reading had three different bosses in Jaap Stam, Paul Clement and now Jose Gomes.

The Portuguese manager is still new to life in Berkshire and is yet to find his best team, warning that a major shake-up could take place in January.

Reading met Manchester United at the same stage of the competition in 2017, with the match ending in a 4-0 hammering in favour of the Red Devils.

Marcus Rashford netted twice on that occasion and he is also enjoying life under Solskjær.

Defender John O’Shea will return to Old Trafford, where he won five league titles, a Champions League trophy and the FA Cup in his 12-year career.

Sergio Romero, Marouane Fellaini, Fred and Diogo Dalot are all in contention to return for the hosts.

However, defenders Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling are sidelined with injuries and Eric Bailly is unavailable due to suspension.