The Emirates FA Cup is hotting up, and Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera claims his mind is sharp ahead of Sunday’s fifth round tie at Blackburn Rovers.
United have since replaced Cup-winning manager Louis van Gaal with Jose Mourinho, and they arrive at Ewood Park in fine form following their comfortable 3-0 UEFA Europa League win over Saint Etienne on Thursday.
Their Emirates FA Cup defence has so far comprised comfortable victories over Reading and Wigan Athletic putting them in a strong position to mount an assault on the trophy again.
But Blackburn stand in their way, and Rovers have already seen off Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool – and have a big scalp at the front of their mind.
But Herrera, who watched the competition as a kid in Spain, is looking forward to continuing his love affair with the world’s oldest knock-out competition.
He said: “It is a massive competition. When some teams rotate players, that doesn't mean they don't give importance to The FA Cup.
“It's the oldest competition in England and I think it's the most amazing cup in the world because of the organisation.
“For me, the organisation in England is fantastic. The last four play the semi-final one game and then The Final at Wembley too and it's fantastic for the fans.
"Every club wants to win The FA Cup, teams not in the top six even more as they can get in the Europa League [through winning it].
“So it's a fantastic competition to play in. We want to keep playing in it and win away against Blackburn.
"We have very good memories from last season and I'm very optimistic because we have a very good squad.”
FA Cup history
United, along with Arsenal, are the most successful side in the competition’s history having lifted the trophy 12 times.
Their success last year was the first time they had won the famous trophy since 2004, but Blackburn’s wait is even longer – having not enjoyed success since 1928.
Did you know?
Blackburn won The FA Cup three years in a row from 1884-86, a joint-record with five-time winners Wanderers FC – who won three times in a row between 1876 and 1878.
One to watch
With a world-class squad assembled by Jose Mourinho, Blackburn boss Owen Coyle will correctly argue that he has to watch out for more than just one player.
But if he can stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic then he will go a long way to stopping United. The Swede has already scored 23 goals this season, including a hat-trick against Saint Etienne.
With the Red Devils struggling to share the goals around, Coyle will be confident that if they can keep the former Paris Saint-Germain striker quiet, then his side have a chance.
The prize
A cheque for £180,000 and a place in the draw for the last eight awaits the winners.
