Here is what you need to know ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League season opener against Fulham.
Team News
Despite the arrivals of Erik ten Hag’s former Ajax players Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich—both of whom might feature on Friday—Manchester United are once again grappling with a familiar defensive dilemma as they prepare for their Premier League return. New signing Leny Yoro will be out of action for several months due to a foot injury sustained during pre-season. Meanwhile, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, and Victor Lindelof remain unavailable, leaving United’s backline severely depleted, especially at left-back. Although Harry Maguire started in the recent clash against Manchester City, his fitness remains a concern.
Adding to United’s woes, Rasmus Hojlund, who was the club’s joint-top scorer in the league last season, is sidelined and unable to partner with fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee. Zirkzee, who didn’t make an appearance at Wembley, could lead the line, but there’s also a possibility that Jadon Sancho, who has recently returned to the squad, or captain Bruno Fernandes, might operate as a false nine, something Erik Ten Hag likes deploying from time to time.
On the other side, Fulham will rely on young Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz, who netted nine league goals last season. Muniz will likely be supported by former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira, while new signing Emile Smith Rowe, who has previously found the net at Old Trafford, is also expected to feature, following his pre-season goals against Sevilla and Hoffenheim. In defence, another recent addition, Jorge Cuenca, might need more time to adapt to Marco Silva’s system.
Form Guide
Looking at Man United’s form, we can actually take a look into one official match this season, which is not the case with Fulham. United played in the Community Shield and were unlucky to lose after a penalty shoot-out at the hands of Manchester City. After a 1-1 draw, United lost in a long shoot-out, ultimately missing out on their chance after it was City who first did not convert a penalty. Before that, during the pre-season, United’s friendlies were going up and down, as Erik Ten Hag was using a lot of players who will not have such an important role this season. After a 1-0 loss to Rosenborg, United won 2-0 against Rangers, before losing 2-1 to Arsenal, but winning on penalties. A 3-2 win against Real Betis was interesting, but the final friendly, a 3-0 loss to Liverpool, was not something the fans enjoyed.
As for Fulham, this will be their first match of the new season, but interestingly enough, they did not play so many friendly matches in the pre-season. In fact, they had just three games against European opposition. First, it was Benfica, which Fulham won 1-0 thanks to Alex Iwobi, before losing 2-1 to Sevilla. They capped off their pre-season with another win, this time 2-0 against Hoffenheim. As expected, they were always lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation Marco Silva prefers and particularly impressive was their new signing Emile Smith Rowe, who came in to replace Joao Palhinha, now of Bayern Munich.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything, we predict Manchester United will beat Fulham 2-1, on the back of a positive performance against Man City in the Community Shield, but with an eye open on potential defensive troubles.