The Red Devils look to bounce back from their 3-1 loss to Aston Villa when they visit Craven Cottage in their final league game before the FIFA World Cup.

Matchweek 16 in the Premier League, the final round of fixtures before the FIFA World Cup break, is currently underway as English giants Manchester United look to head into this period on a positive note. Unfortunately, Ten Hag's men will face Fulham in a tricky Craven Cottage battle.

The Red Devils find themselves in a heated top-four race this season with the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle, and Chelsea, with all but the Magpies stumbling in their last few games.

Ten Hag's men have suffered slip-ups of their own, losing 3-1 away to Aston Villa in their most recent Premier League game while dropping points in three out of their last five English top-flight matches, drawing two and losing one.

Two of those stalemates came against their top-four rivals, playing out a nil-nil draw at home to Newcastle in a game riddled with referring controversies before rescuing a point away to Chelsea after their impressive 2-0 victory over Spurs.

The unimpressive defeat at Villa Park was a worrisome result as Leon Bailey, Ollie Watkins, and Jacob Ramsey tore Manchester United apart in Unai Emery's debut game for the West Midlands club. However, Ten Hag's men, fortunately, bounced back immediately after, taking on and beating Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup third round courtesy of a 4-2 triumph, with highly-rated youngster Alejandro Garnacho impressing.

The 20-time English champions are currently fifth in the table and while a win in London will not change their position, the three points will be crucial in two aspects. First of all, Bruno Fernandes and Co. would move within three points of third-placed Tottenham despite Conte's side having played a game extra. Additionally, Liverpool are only one point behind Manchester United, meaning the Red Devils will want to re-establish a healthy gap over their bitter rivals.

However, beating Fulham is easier said than done. Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham were all made to work hard when they crossed paths with the Cottagers, with the Reds drawing 2-2 while the other three only managed to win by a one-goal margin. 

Marco Silva's men have lost nearly a third of their Premier League matches so far this season, but with five wins and four draws under their belt, Mitrovic and Co. find themselves much higher up the table than many expected.

The newly-promoted side who were predicted to get relegated immediately are currently in ninth, only two points behind Chelsea and Brighton and only three behind Liverpool. Additionally, the home side have a lovely goalscoring record this term, netting 23 times so far, with only five other teams in the top half of the table outscoring them (Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Man City, and Arsenal).

Fulham had gone unbeaten in four of their last five matches but their most recent fixture was a gutting defeat away to Man City. Silva's men looked destined to pick up a point at the Etihad Stadium only to give away a stoppage-time penalty, which Erling Haaland converted, handing the Cottagers a 2-1 loss.

However, this weekend gives them a second opportunity against a Manchester club. Will Fulham frustrate Ten Hag's men as they did Guardiola's side? Do not miss this clash!

Team news

Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Cottagers' top scorer this season with nine goals, will play no part in this game and is even a doubt for Serbia for the upcoming FIFA World Cup due to a foot injury. Neeskens Kebano and Manor Solomon are also sidelined while Kenny Tete and Harrison Reed are suspended for this fixture.

Manchester United: Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering from illness while Antony continues to recover from his hip issue as both the Portuguese and Brazilian aces are expected to sit this fixture out. Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane are also unavailable while Diogo Dalot is suspended, meaning Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia should start. Anthony Martial should lead the line while Alejandro Garnacho could move to the right to make way for Marcus Rashford.

Key stats

  • Fulham have outscored Manchester United in the Premier League this season by five goals.

  • However, the Cottagers boast the second-worst defense among teams in the top half of the table, having conceded 24 goals.

  • Manchester United have lost only two of their last 25 encounters with the London outfit, winning 18 and drawing five.

  • Additionally, the Red Devils have avoided defeat in 17 out of their last 18 meetings with newly-promoted Premier League clubs (W11, D6, L1).

  • Only Arsenal, Newcastle, and Man City have registered more clean sheets this season than the Red Devils (5).

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Fulham 1 - 2 Manchester United

November 13, 2022 11:30amCraven Cottage (London)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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