Manchester United head to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the sixth round of the Emirates FA Cup on Monday evening and they'll have to do it without any natural strikers, with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford all unavailable.
Regular Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness believes that the Red Devils have absolutely no chance of progressing through to the semi finals without their talisman Swede, asthe Mirrorreported.
Graeme Souness says Man United have no chance of beating Chelsea without Zlatan Ibrahimovic #MUFC https://t.co/fZFQmO9Svs pic.twitter.com/ePxW3Zk7gl
He said, "They wouldn't want to play United in the final, so they'll be happy to have this game now with the form they are in. It's only good news for them that Ibrahimovic is not going to play.He has to play for them to be anywhere near winning the big games but if they can get through this period it could help as they pursue a place in next season's Champions League.
"At the start of the season I said that if United were going to have a good one it would be down to Ibrahimovic. That's how it has turned out. He's their main man. He's quickly become their biggest influence."
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Jose Mourinho will not take kindly to the Scot's words and will be out to prove many of the doubters wrong as he returns to his former stomping ground. When United took on the league leaders in west London earlier this season, the home side ran out convincing 4-0 winners.
The Special One has been tipped to opt for Marouane Fellaini in a central striker role, in what could be a physical game between two of the Premier League's biggest sides.