Everton have increased the number of police present during Manchester United's visit to Goodison Park ahead of their FA Cup clash due to impending arrival of former Toffees hero Wayne Rooney.

Rooney is set to receive a hostile reception from the Merseyside faithful for joining the Red Devils back at the start of the season for £30 million.

Whether the striker will start the game or not is the big question, but there is no doubt that the tie is expected to be an exiting Fifth Round encounter. Boss Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced that Rooney will keep his head in front of an intimidating crowd. "Obviously with any player going back to his former club he's going to get a bit of stick. That happens all the time. I think he will handle it" 

The two sides have only met nine times in the competition, with none of them resulting in a draw. The Toffees however won five of the nine FA Cup clashes.

With next week's vital Champions League fixture with AC Milan on the horizon, Sir Alex Ferguson may rest some of his stars. The Scotsman is also ecstatic that all four strikers (Rooney, Saha, Van Nistelrooy and Smith) are all injury free in time for Saturday's and Wednesday's match. "It's a big bonus because last week I didn't think all four [strikers] would be ready for the AC Milan game or the Everton game. But now, after seven days of watching them in training, I know they are ready. So I'm quite convinced that they're all ready to play." stated Fergie.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been missing for two months with an Achilles injury that has been conditioned to be ready for Wednesday, whilst Alan Smith has been struggling for some time with an ankle problem.

Fergie also vowed that their will be no massive changes, but will keep the Milan tie in mind. "They're playing so well at the moment, the strength of the side is phenomenal. I may be tempted to just leave things alone. Once that [the Everton game] is out of the road then we've four days to prepare for AC Milan."

Everton boss David Moyes has worked wonders on his side this season, guiding the Blues to 4th place and just nine points behind Premiership holders Arsenal. Regarding the injury front, Duncan Ferguson, James McFadden and Leon Osman will all face late fitness tests going into the game.

ManUtdWeb Prediction: Everton 1 - 2 Manchester United - The Red Devils are undefeated in eight away games in all competitions, and are clear favourites to progress into the next round. United have learnt to respect the cup the currently possess over recent seasons.