Manchester Utd
Subs from Lindegaard, Johnstone, Buttner, Evans, Smalling, Powell, Giggs, Anderson, Young, Hernández, Welbeck
Doubtful None
Injured Jones (ankle, 30 Mar), Scholes (knee, 30 Mar), Fletcher (illness, unknown), Nani (hamstring, 30 Mar)
Suspended None
Form guide WWWWWD
Disciplinary record Y43 R0
Leading scorer Van Persie 19
Reading
Subs from McCarthy, Andersen, Gunter, Karacan, McCleary, Guthrie, Morrison, Blackman, Shorey, Carrico, Cummings, Pearce, Henley
Doubtful None
Injured Federici (ankle, 30 Mar), Kébé (groin, 30 Mar), Roberts (hip, Aug)
Suspended Pogrebnyak (3/3)
Form guide LLLLWD
Disciplinary record Y35 R1
Leading scorer Le Fondre 10
Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has warned his side not to give Manchester City even a glimmer of hope in the Premier League title race.
Alex Ferguson’s side face Reading at Old Trafford in Saturday’s late kick-off knowing second placed City can trim their rivals’ lead at the top to nine points if they win at Everton earlier in the day.
Last season United let slip an eight-point lead with just six games to go, but Evans believes they have learnt from their mistakes and are determined to ensure a similar meltdown does not happen with 10 games to go this term.
“This is the business end of the season,” he said. “We are in a great position in the league. We want to make sure we don’t give City any sniff of getting back in and closing the gap on us.
“It is an important couple of weeks. At this club you have this experience on how to deal with that.
“We have all seen what happened last year so it is up to us to make sure that does not happen again.
“I know we keep saying it but I think there will be an extra determination from us this year.”
However, Evans did give City a tiny piece of good news as the centre-back admitted United have been feeling drained following their Champions League exit and FA Cup quarter-final draw with Chelsea last week.
United lost controversially to Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 before surrendering a 2-0 lead to Chelsea at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.
“We had a couple of days off after the Chelsea game,” Evans said. “The manager decided to give us an extra day or so to rest so we came on Wednesday and got the legs going again but it wasn’t too hard out there on the training pitch.
“Obviously, I didn’t play in the Real Madrid game so I wasn’t feeling physical tiredness but, on Sunday, I did feel a bit tired and a bit drained in the second half.
“I think the mental side of it drains you. There were a lot of emotions during the week and we have to try to switch off from that and prepare for the next match.
“I think what caught us out a bit against Chelsea at the weekend was we got off to a good start but the mentally-drained side really showed in the second half.”
