Getty Derby County forward Wayne Rooney.
Derby County will host Manchester United in the FA Cup’s third round on Thursday at Pride Park Stadium.
In the United States, the match (2:45 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on regular TV, but anyone in the US can watch every FA Cup match live on ESPN+:
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ESPN+ is the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of the FA Cup in the US, plus other international soccer, other live sports every day, all the 30-for-30 documentaries, and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
Or, if you also want the new Disney+ streaming service and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to 25 percent savings:
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Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch Derby County vs Manchester United live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Derby County vs Manchester United Preview
United overcame Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in their third-round replay following a scoreless draw, then thumped League One side Tranmere Rovers 6-0 to reach the FA Cup’s fifth round.
They haven’t lost in six matches since the close of January.
On Sunday, the Reds overcame an early disaster to draw 1-1 with Everton in Premier League play. Goalkeeper David de Gea had a clearance blocked into the net by Toffees forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the third minute.
United midfielder Bruno Fernandes equalized in the 31st with a blast from about 30 yards out.
“In the first half we were excellent after, well, a very strange start,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, according to the club’s official website. “You shouldn’t be one-nil down after that. But that happens and the reaction was great. I thought we played some fantastic football and when we got to half-time we should have been leading.”
United sit in fifth place on the league table, but have a Champions League spot for now thanks to the ban of second-place Manchester City.
Derby reached the FA Cup’s fifth round by edging Premier League side Crystal Palace 1-0 on the road in the third then trouncing League Two club Northampton Town 4-2 at home in a replay of a scoreless draw.
They’re in 13th place on the EFL Championship table, eight points shy of the final spot in the playoffs.
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has scored four times for Derby since joining the club in January after two seasons in the MLS.
“Of course he (Rooney) is very important, and maybe even more in this game,” Derby County manager Phillip Cocu said, according to the Derby Telegraph.
“He knows Manchester United like no other. He knows the players, he knows the level of the performance what is needed in these games. He will be extremely important for us on Thursday.”
Rooney’s the all-time leading scorer for Manchester United (253) and the England men’s national team (53). He represented the Reds for 13 seasons.
“He is used to big games, to the attention, so maybe it will only have a positive influence on his performance,” Cocu said, per the Derby Telegraph.
“If you are not used to playing these kind of games it is better the attention goes more to the more senior players.”
The coach added: “He is eager to play this game, and it is a special game, it is obvious, but I don’t have the feeling he is changing his approach to the game if I compare it to any other game, no.”