Preview: Preston North End vs. Manchester United

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has emerged as a doubt for his side's FA Cup fifth-round clash at Preston North End on Monday night.

The Dutchman picked up a knock during United's 3-1 victory over Burnley on Wednesday night, while Daley Blind and Phil Jones could also miss the match at Deepdale after suffering injuries in the same game.

Ander Herrera is expected to feature in midfield alongside Wayne Rooney, while Juan Mata could earn a recall further forward.

Boss Louis van Gaal hasn't been impressed with his team's last two performances, but he will expect an improvement with the club facing Football League opposition for the third successive round.

Preston manager Simon Grayson will be unable to play on-loan goalkeeper Sam Johnstone against his parent club, meaning that Thorsten Stuckmann is likely to deputise between the posts.

Grayson has a number of options in attack, but he is expected to utilise the experience and strength of veteran Kevin Davies in an attempt to trouble the United backline.

The rest of the team is likely to remain unchanged from the starting lineup that began Tuesday's 2-0 win away at Chesterfield.

That result was Preston's third consecutive win in all competitions as they continue to recover from the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final.

Preston North End:

Form in FA Cup: LWWWDW Form in all competitions: DDLWWW

Possible starting lineup: Stuckmann, Huntington, Clarke, Wright, Wiseman, Gallagher, Welsh, Johnson, Laird, Garner, Davies

Manchester United:

Form in FA Cup: DLLWDW Form in all competitions: WDWWDW

Possible starting lineup: De Gea, McNair, Smalling, Evans, Rojo, Herrera, Di Maria, Mata, Rooney, Wilson, Falcao

Sports Mole says: 1-3