Manchester United are back in Premier League action after another midweek of resting and preparing for the challenges ahead. Fulham are coming to Old Trafford on Saturday and here is what you need to know before the match.
Team News
Manchester United have suffered a significant setback with Luke Shaw facing an extended spell on the sidelines due to a recurring muscle injury sustained during last weekend’s victory over Luton. Joining Shaw on the injury list are Aaron Wan-Bissaka (undisclosed), Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia (both knee), Mason Mount who has been out because of his calf injury for a while, and, of course, Anthony Martial following his groin injury.
Victor Lindelof appears to be the frontrunner to step into Shaw’s left-back role, although Sofyan Amrabat provides an alternative option, having previously featured in defense earlier in the season. Ten Hag could keep everything the same up front, with Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo forming a midfield partnership and the likes of Bruno Fernandes supporting Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund.
Meanwhile, Fulham will be without key midfielder Joao Palhinha, who is suspended for two matches due to accumulating 10 yellow cards this season. Harrison Reed, Sasa Lukic, or Alex Iwobi are poised to step in alongside Tom Cairney in midfield. The absence of striker Raul Jimenez due to a thigh injury adds to Fulham’s woes, while Kenny Tete (calf) and Chelsea loanee Armando Broja (illness) face late fitness assessments ahead of kickoff, following their absence in the previous weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa. The good news for Marco Silva is the return of Calvin Bassey at centre-back.
Form Guide
Man United will host Fulham in great recent form. Maybe the performances have not been that great in all of the games, but Erik Ten Hag’s team has managed to win the last five games in all competitions, finally getting to a run which they should be making if they are to actually progress as a team and reach the Champions League qualification. Funnily enough, United played four of those five games away, beating Newport County and Wolves, before a 3-0 dispatching of West Ham at Old Trafford. Two 2-1 wins at Aston Villa and Luton further closed the gap between United and Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, the two teams they will have to fight for that spot which gets you a Champions League qualification. The last match against Luton was far from perfect, as United should have been able get a much more resounding win than they did.
Fulham, on the other hand, have only two wins in 2024 and one of them was in their first match of the year against Rotherham United in the FA Cup. Since that match, they did not have an easy run. Semi-final matches against Liverpool in the League Cup brought them a loss and a draw, in the league they lost to Chelsea and then to Newcastle in the FA Cup. Two draws against Everton and Burnley were missed opportunities for Marco Silva’s side to get closer to those teams in the top-half of the standings, although they did beat Bournemouth recently, 3-1. Their last match, however, was a home loss to Aston Villa (1-2).
Predicted Outcome
Considering recent form, we predict Manchester United will beat Fulham 2-0. It is time for Man United to get back to making those clean-sheets, while Fulham’s struggles with goalscoring since the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic could make that task a little bit easier.
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