Manchester United will look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon when they travel to West London to face Fulham. The Red Devils are currently fifth in the table with 23 points from their first 13 games, while Fulham are ninth with 19 points from their first 14 games after a strong start.
Fulham’s last three Premier League seasons have ended in relegation, but the Cottagers appear to have more than enough quality to make it back-to-back seasons at this level of football, with 19 points from 14 games leaving them in ninth place in the table. This season, Marco Silva’s side has a league record of five wins, four draws, and five defeats, and they have been prolific in front of goal, scoring on 23 occasions, five more than Manchester United.
However, only Bournemouth (32), Nottingham Forest (30), and Leicester City (25) have conceded more goals in the league this season than Fulham, with the London club shipping 24 goals in 14 games, and Man United’s attack will look to exploit that weakness this weekend. Fulham came into last weekend’s match against Manchester City with a four-game unbeaten run in the league, including victories over Aston Villa and Leeds United.
Silva’s side were unfortunate to lose to Pep Guardiola’s side, with Erling Braut Haaland winning it from the penalty spot in the 95th minute, and it was the type of performance that would have given their supporters plenty of hope for the rest of the season. Fulham have not beaten Manchester United in the Premier League since December 2009, but the points were shared (1-1) when the teams last met in May 2021 at Old Trafford.
When Manchester United last visited Craven Cottage in January 2021, they won 2-1, and the Red Devils have won 11 of their last 12 games against the capital club in all competitions.
Erik ten Hag’s side lost 3-1 to Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend, ending a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. Man United are now fifth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with a game in hand on the North London club, with a record of seven wins, two draws, and four defeats from 13 league games this season. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are coming off a win, having defeated Villa 4-2 in the EFL Cup on Thursday evening to advance to the fourth round of the competition.
Ten Hag will now be desperate to go into the break with all three points, putting them in a strong position to challenge for a top-four spot when play resumes in late December. During his pre-match press conference, Man United’s head coach stated that the 20-time English champions would “have to be really good” at Craven Cottage in order to secure a positive result, and the Dutchman will be demanding a response after the poor performance at Villa Park last weekend.
Match Prediction –
Fulham 1-2 Manchester United
