Manchester United are back in Premier League action after a disappointing exit from the League Cup and they will be facing Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Team News
There has been little movement in or out of the Fulham medical room in recent weeks, where Issa Diop (foot injury), Tosin Adarabioyo (groin), Adama Traore (thigh), and Kenny Tete (unknown) stayed on Wednesday evening. But Tete, Adarabioyo, and Traore are nearing full fitness and could join the team this weekend. Marco Silva’s biggest selection conundrum is about his striker, where Muniz’s season-opening goal validated his manager’s choice. Raul Jimenez hasn’t scored since joining the Cottagers in the summer to replace Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Silva has indicated that Muniz may now push his way past him. Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, and Bernd Leno will all move back to the rearguard, which is good news for the hosts.
As for Manchester United, Luke Shaw is out due to a muscle injury, Amad Diallo and Tyrell Malacia are still having troubles with their knee injuries, Lisandro Martinez is still recovering from a foot problem, while Jadon Sancho’s disciplinary issues are still keep him frozen out of the squad. It remains to be seen whether Victor Lindelof is ready for this match as his battling his own bug, which was giving problems to Raphael Varane ahead of the recent Newcastle match.
Form Guide
Fulham are hosting Man United in a not so great, but also not so bad form. The Cottagers won their last match, but it was against Ipswich Town in League Cup, as the 3-1 victory got them into the quarterfinals. Prior to that, Marco Silva’s side won one point in the two previous league matches, however, those results came on tough trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton. Before that, Fulham have shown they are in great form when playing at home. In their last five matches, they are undefeated, with wins against Luton, Norwich and Sheffield United, a penalty shoot-out win against Spurs in League Cup and a single loss against Chelsea. That is why United should be careful ahead of this match.
But another reason why Ten Hag and his players must be wary of a tough trip to London is the fact they lost their previous two matches. Sure, they were tough tests in Manchester City and Newcastle, but 0-3 losses at home to both of those sides really destroyed the morale of the team and everyone around the club. It might not be a too bad of a thing for United not to have to think about the League Cup now they are eliminated, but the manner in which they lost to the Magpies was terrible. Now, against Fulham, the Devils seriously need to bounce back and set themselves up for a better run of results ahead of the international break.
Predicted Outcome
We predict Manchester United will beat Fulham 1-0 this weekend and finally get back to winning. Both teams are struggling in attack, with Fulham seriously missing Aleksandar Mitrovic and United’s forwards being underwhelming since the beginning of the season. That is why expectations of a goal-fest are missing and hopefully the Devils will be the ones keeping the clean sheet in the league for the first time since that Burnley win.
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