Manchester United will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon when they head to West London to take on an impressive Fulham.
The Red Devils are currently fifth in the table, boasting 23 points from their opening 13 matches, while Fulham occupy ninth, having picked up 19 points from their first 14 games during a strong start.
Match preview
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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 campaigns at this level of football, with a total of 19 points from 14 matches leaving them in ninth position in the table.
Marco Silva's side have a record of five wins, four draws and five defeats in the league this term, and they have been full of goals, finding the back of the net on 23 occasions, which is five more than Man United.
That said, only Bournemouth (32), Nottingham Forest (30) and Leicester City (25) have conceded more times than Fulham in the league this term, with the London club shipping 24 goals in their 14 matches, and Man United's attack will be looking to exploit that area of weakness this weekend.
Fulham entered last weekend's clash with Manchester City off the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the league, which included wins over Aston Villa and Leeds United.
Silva's side were unfortunate to lose against Pep Guardiola's side, with Erling Braut Haaland winning it in the 95th minute from the penalty spot, and it was the type of performance that would have given their supporters plenty of encouragement for the remainder of the campaign.
Fulham have not beaten Man United in the Premier League since December 2009, but the points were shared (1-1) when they last locked horns at Old Trafford in May 2021.
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Man United recorded a 2-1 victory over Fulham when they last travelled to Craven Cottage in January 2021, while the Red Devils have triumphed in 11 of their last 12 fixtures with the capital outfit in all competitions.
Erik ten Hag's side saw a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end last weekend when they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The result has left Man United in fifth position in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with a game in hand on the North London club, while they have a record of seven wins, two draws and four defeats from their 13 league games this term.
The Red Devils will enter this match off the back of a win, meanwhile, having beaten Villa 4-2 in the EFL Cup on Thursday evening to progress to the fourth round of the competition.
Ten Hag will now be desperate to sign off for the break with all three points, which would leave them in a strong position to challenge for a top-four spot when the action resumes in late December.
Man United's head coach said during his pre-match press conference 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 following the poor performance at Villa Park last weekend.
Team News
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Fulham's big team news involves Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the centre-forward, who has nine league goals this term, ruled out of the contest due to a foot injury, and there are fears over his involvement for Serbia at the World Cup.
Neeskens Kebano and Manor Solomon are also missing for the home side through injury, while Kenny Tete and Harrison Reed are both out of the match through suspension.
Bobby Decordova-Reid is back from a ban of his own, though, and he is expected to start at right-back.
Tom Cairney could come in for a start in midfield due to Reed's absence, while Carlos Vinicius is again likely to feature at centre-forward due to Mitrovic's injury.
Andreas Pereira, who scored from the penalty spot against Man City last time out, will also line up for the home side against his former club.
As for Man United, Ten Hag had been hopeful that Cristiano Ronaldo (illness) and Antony (hip) could both be available for this weekend's contest at Craven Cottage, but the pair have allegedly not made the trip to London, while Jadon Sancho is also believed to still be missing through illness.
Raphael Varane, Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe will again definitely be out through injury, while Diogo Dalot is suspended for the Red Devils following his red card against Villa in the Premier League.
As a result, Tyrell Malacia could come in for a start at right-back, with Victor Lindelof getting the nod over Harry Maguire to feature alongside Lisandro Martinez in the middle of the defence.
Anthony Martial started against Villa in the EFL Cup on Thursday and could be in the XI once again here, with Alejandro Garnacho potentially being asked to play off the right to allow Marcus Rashford to feature on the left.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Decordova-Reid, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Cairney, Palhinha; Wilson, Pereira, Willian; Vinicius
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Malacia, Lindelof, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Garnacho, Martial, Rashford
We say: Fulham 1-2 Manchester United
Fulham will not be at full strength this weekend, and the absence of Mitrovic is a blow to their chances of picking up a positive result here. It would certainly not be a surprise to see a home win or a draw, but we just have a feeling that Man United will navigate their way to what would be a huge three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
