Premier League: Manchester United vs Fulham Live
Preview: Manchester United vs Fulham
Manchester United vs Fulham will take place at Old Trafford on Saturday at 3:00pm as the host aim to close the gap between the top-four and get their fifth consecutive Premier League win. Fulham is visiting Old Trafford with the goal of returning to winning ways following a loss to Aston Villa at their home stadium.
Despite being considered far behind Manchester City and Liverpool by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United have seen an improvement in their top-four aspirations recently with a four-game winning streak. Wins against Wolves, West Ham United, Aston Villa, and Luton Town have propelled them to sixth place in the Premier League table. They are now closely trailing Tottenham Hotspur in fifth and Aston Villa in fourth. Manchester United will face Fulham next before the upcoming Manchester derby, and they have a strong record against Fulham in recent Premier League meetings. A win against Fulham would give Manchester United a perfect win rate for the month, a feat they have not achieved since January 2009.
After earning four points in their first two matches in February, a 2-2 draw against Burnley and a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at home, Fulham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in their most recent game. This loss marked their 12th defeat of the season. Ollie Watkins scored for Aston Villa on either side of half-time, giving them the lead, but Rodrigo Muniz’s goal for Fulham in the second half offered hope for a comeback. Despite their efforts, Fulham couldn’t find an equalizer and experienced their first loss at Craven Cottage in 2024.
The cottagers, managed by Marco Silva, have struggled for consistency this season, only managing to win consecutive matches once in early December. They currently sit in 12th place, with eight points separating them from the relegation zone and eight points behind eighth-placed Newcastle United. The cottagers, who have the second-worst away record in the Premier League this season, will face Manchester United next. Since their opening season win against Everton in August, they have failed to win any of their last 11 away matches, losing seven of them.
Head-to-head
Manchester United has not lost in their previous five encounters with Fulham, winning four matches and drawing one. Their upcoming match will be the first meeting between the two teams since November 4, when Bruno Fernandes scored a goal in the 91st minute to lead Manchester United to a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage.
Prediction
Manchester United may still have defensive vulnerabilities, but they have improved their attacking play since the start of the year and will be feeling confident going into Saturday’s match against the cottagers. Fulham’s poor record away from home is worrying, and even though they performed well in the previous match against Manchester United, it’s hard to bet against Ten Hag’s revitalized team in front of their enthusiastic Old Trafford supporters.
