United face MK Dons in League Cup

adamhigginsuk
Aug 13, 2014
3 min read

Despair: United fell at the penultimate hurdle in last year's League Cup after a slapstick penalty shoot-out loss at the hands of Sunderland (Picture from Zimbio.com)

MANCHESTER United have been drawn against MK Dons in the second round of the Capital One Cup.

The Red Devils will face the League One side at the Stadium MK on either 25 or 26 August.

United were last involved at this stage of the competition in September 1995 when a side featuring Paul Scholes and David Beckham lost 4-3 on aggregate to York City.

It will be Louis van Gaal's first competitive cup match as United manager since taking over the reins from David Moyes in the summer.

With no European commitments after last season's seventh-place finish in the Premier League, the four-time League Cup winners will be among the favourites to lift the trophy they last won in 2010.

United are looking to go one step further after the disappointment of losing to Sunderland on penalties in last season’s semi-final second leg.

Van Gaal is expected to give a number of youngsters a run-out including Tyler Blackett, Reece James and James Wilson, who recently scored all four goals in United's Manchester Senior Cup win over Manchester City.

The Red Devils are normally accustomed to entering the competition in the third round when top-flight clubs featuring in both the Champions League and Europa League come into the fold.

Meanwhile, Karl Robinson's MK Dons reached round two after a 3-1 home win over arch rivals AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

And after the draw was made, chairman Pete Winkleman described the lucrative tie against United as "the biggest game in the club's history".

He told Sky Sports News: "It's going to be a new-look United, the whole world will be looking at it and we can’t wait to welcome them to Milton Keynes.

"We've been trying to get the stadium finished and it's only in the last year we've been able to put all out 30,000 comfortable seats in and I am sure all the United fans who come will have a fantastic night and enjoy the spectacle of football. We just can't wait to put the show on the road."

It will be the first official meeting between the two sides with United having previously faced the old Wimbledon in February 2000 before the club’s name changed to MK Dons four years later.

MK boss Karl Robinson told the club’s official website: "We're ecstatic, it's a dream tie for us.

"After beating AFC Wimbledon last night, we are now going to be playing one of the greatest ever football teams at stadiummk, all in our anniversary season."

United have Premier League games against Swansea and Sunderland before the tie takes place, while MK are up against Peterborough, Chesterfield and Coventry in the third tier.

Elsewhere in the draw, West Ham welcome Sheffield United to Upton Park, Bradford host Yorkshire rivals Leeds and Aston Villa take on Leyton Orient at Villa Park in some of the stand-out ties of the round.

Full Capital One Cup 2nd round draw:

MK Dons v Manchester United

Burton Albion v QPR

Port Vale v Cardiff City

Middlesbrough v Preston

Stoke v Portsmouth

Huddersfield v Nottingham Forest

Swansea City v Rotherham

Watford v Doncaster

Millwall v Southampton

Bournemouth v Northampton

Brentford v Fulham