Following four consecutive victories in the Premier League, Manchester United will host Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Devils endured a dire start to this campaign, but following their recent surge, Erik ten Hag’s side have managed to drag themselves up in the league table. They are currently sixth in the table with 44 points from 25 games, sitting three points behind the fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, after beating Luton 2-1 last weekend.
Securing fifth place in the Premier League could be enough to qualify for the new Champions League format next season. Spurs won’t be in action this weekend so Man Utd could be able to get level in points with the North London club if they beat Fulham in this encounter.
Fulham will be coming into this game off the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa. So, they might be lacking confidence a bit ahead of this fixture.
Previous meetings
Man Utd defeated the West London club in the reverse fixture in the Premier League. In addition, the Red Devils have a great record against their Saturday’s opponent as they are undefeated versus the Cottagers since 2009.
How to watch
The game will kick off at 3 pm UK time on Saturday 24th February, and the match won’t be televised live in the UK due to the blackout rule.
Therefore, the only way to watch all the action live is to be in the stands at Old Trafford on Saturday. Supporters can buy Manchester United vs Fulham tickets via the official club sites or through trusted resellers such as seatsnet.com.
Team news
The Red Devils have struggled with injury problems this season as they were without several of their key players during the first half of this season. Although they started to return in recent weeks, the Red Devils will be without Lisandro Martínez – who is set to remain sidelined over the coming weeks due to a knee injury.
Luke Shaw was in doubt ahead of the last game against Luton Town but Ten Hag decided to start him. The Englishman only managed to feature for the first 43 minutes of the game before being substituted. So, he is set to be unavailable for selection in this crucial fixture and he will remain sidelined over the next few months as a result of his injury.
In addition, Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Mason Mount and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are also expected to miss out on this game owing to their respective problems.
As for Fulham, they don’t have many injury problems ahead of this encounter but Silva’s side aren’t likely to get the service of Raul Jimenez due to an Injury issue. In addition, Palhinha is suspended for this game so he isn’t in contention to feature.
Predicted line-up
Erik ten Hag is likely to go with the 4-2-3-1 formation and he is expected to go with the pretty much same squad that started against Luton Town last weekend. So, Andre Onana is set to be in goal and in front of the Ghanaian, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane should be the centre-back pairing for the Red Devils.
Diogo Dalot should continue in the right-back position, while Victor Lindelof could commence on the other side, replacing Shaw. Casemiro is set to be in the deep-lying playmaker position and alongside the Brazilian Kobbie Mainoo should continue for the Red Devils.
Bruno Fernandes will be deployed in the attacking midfield position and on either side of the Portuguese, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho could start. Rasmus Hojlund is expected to lead the line for Man Utd.
Expected Man Utd line-up vs Fulham
Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Lindelof; Casemiro, Mainoo; Bruno, Rashford, Garnacho; Hojlund
As for Fulham, Silva is also expected to go with the 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno set to be in goal. Issa Diop and Tim Ream should be at the heart of Fulham’s defence for the visitors, while Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson might be the two fullbacks.
Tom Cairney could be paired up with Harrison Reed in the engine room amid Palhinha’s absence, pushing Andreas Pereira into the attacking midfield position. Willian should be on the left-wing, while Bobby Decordova-Reid is expected to start on the opposite flank. Rodrigo Muniz could be in the centre-forward position for Fulham amid Jimenez’s injury absence.
Expected Fulham line-up vs Man Utd
Leno; Castagne, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Cairney, Reed; Pereira, Willian, Decordova-Reid; Muniz
Key players
Hojlund joining Man Utd last summer was one of the big football news stories and he initially struggled to find the back of the net in the Premier League. However, the Dane has been in tremendous form in recent times, scoring eight goals and registering two assists in the last seven appearances in all competitions.
The 21-year-old has become the youngest player ever to score in six consecutive Premier League fixtures. So, Man Utd will be hoping that Hojlund will be able to continue his goal-scoring form this Saturday and guide his team to victory.
Garnacho has already showcased glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League at this tender age and he has already established himself as a key player in Ten Hag’s starting eleven. So, the visitors will have to keep a close eye on the Argentinian to stop him from showcasing his best in this encounter.
Having enjoyed his career-best campaign last term, Rashford has struggled to replicate the same performance this season. However, the Englishman has improved his displays in recent games and the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping that the Englishman will be able to help United win this game by putting his name on the score-sheet.
Bruno is a talismanic figure for United and he is the club captain as well. The onus will be on him to create opportunities for the front three and finish those off if he gets any.
As for Fulham, Muniz has been in fine form this season and the visitors will be hoping that he will be able to help his side win this encounter by putting his name on the score-sheet.
Willian is also a key player for Fulham as he is one of the main creative players for the West London club and in addition, he can also finish off his chances. So, the Red Devils will have to keep him in close attention to come away with all three points from this fixture.
Prediction
Man Utd have won four consecutive league games but their performances haven’t been convincing at all. They were outplayed by Luton Town and Aston Villa in their previous two games, while they gave up several chances against West Ham United.
So, Fulham have a chance to snap their awful record against Man Utd in this fixture. But, in order to achieve that, they will have to be clinical in front of the goal.
The Red Devils will have to perform at their best to come away with all three points from this fixture so if they can’t improve their performances then they might fail to win their fifth consecutive league games. Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds this weekend. Man Utd 2-2 Fulham
