As a result, the Red Devils have a point to prove in the competition to add to their four trophy wins in the tournament.
Van Gaal's men have been dogged by their inconsistent form over the course of the campaign, which has included impressive wins over Liverpool and Everton in recent weeks, but poor defeats against Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven.
The club's performance in the Manchester derby highlighted the fact that they are not quite firing on all cylinders, despite another heavy outlay on players over the summer, even though Anthony Martial has enjoyed an impressive start to his career at Old Trafford.
United's home form has been integral to them keeping touch with the Premier League pacesetters at the start of the campaign as they have only dropped points in their 0-0 draw against Newcastle United, while they brushed aside Ipswich Town with ease in the last round of the League Cup.
Defensively, the Red Devils have been solid at Old Trafford this season, conceding just two goals and keeping five clean sheets in all competitions. Van Gaal will be confident that if his side can produce another resilient outing they will be able to book their place in the fifth round.
Middlesbrough ended a three-match winless run in the Championship with a 3-1 comeback victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.Aitor Karanka would have been concerned about his team's form when they fell behind to a first-half strike from David Edwards, but Boro rallied in the second half though goals from Diego Fabbrini, Grant Leadbitter and Stewart Downing to secure their first win of the month.The North-East outfit had won six matches on the bounce before they lost to Reading at the start of the month, which started their poor run of results over the course of the month. However, Karanka's men have found their form just in time for their trip to Old Trafford.
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