Manchester United vs Fulham Predictions

The Premier League is finally back this week with the opening fixture set for this Friday night. Old Trafford plays host to what will surely be an interesting fixture between Manchester United and Fulham.

Manchester United vs Fulham Key Stats

• Man United have lost just 1 of their last 7 home fixtures
• Fulham have 3 wins in their last 8 games
• Manchester United have scored 9 goals in their last 7 games
• Fulham have scored at least 1 in each of their last 4 matches

Manchester United vs Fulham Previous Matches

Erik Ten Hag’s side come into the season after a mixed pre-season. In 90 minutes they have lost 3 of their last 7 games including defeats against Arsenal, Liverpool and Rosenborg.

Their last game saw them take on Manchester City in the Community Shield final at Wembley. Despite a good performance and a late goal from Alejandro Garnacho it wasn’t enough as Man City would equalise through Bernardo Silva and win the match on penalties.

Fulham on the other hand have had a fairly positive pre-season only losing 1 of their 3 games played. Positive results against Benfica and Hoffenheim included.

Hoffenheim was in fact their last game of preseason with Fulham coming away with a 2-0 victory.

Manchester United vs Fulham Head To Head

This matchup is set to be the 92nd meeting between these two teams.

Manchester United certainly have the advantage over Fulham though having won 56 of the games they have played against one another. This to Fulham’s 15 wins.

However, in the last game they played it was Fulham who came away with a victory at the Theatre of Dreams. This was the first time they had beaten United since 2009 and the first time they had won at Old Trafford since 2003. Will they do the same again this season?

Manchester United vs Fulham Team News & Predicted Lineups

Manchester United had a lot of injury issues last season and they come into this game with the same problem.

New boy Leny Yoro suffered an injury in preseason meaning he will be out for a few months. And defensively the Red Devils will also be without Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof. They will also be without Rasmus Hojlund who also suffered an injury in United’s warm up games.

However, new signings Mathias de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee are all available to make appearances in this game.

Fulham on the other hand don’t appear to have any issues coming into this game and are expected to start a fairly strong eleven. Former Arsenal man Emile Smith-Rowe could make his competitive Fulham debut in this game as well.

Manchester United - Andre Onana, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford

Fulham - Bernd Leno, Timothy Castagne, Issa Diop, Calvin Bassey, Antonee Robinson, Sasa Lukic, Harrison Reed, Alex Iwobi, Andreas Pereira, Emile Smith Rowe, Rodrigo Muniz

Manchester United vs Fulham Player To Watch - Joshua Zirkzee

Manchester United’s new number 11, Joshua Zirkzee, is yet to make an appearance for the club since his £36.5 million move in July.

However, with Rasmus Hojlund out and question marks over who may start up front for United now this season, Zirkzee is expected to start the opening game of the season.

In 2023/24, the Dutch international bagged 12 goals for Bologna, something he will look to translate over to the Premier League. If he starts in this game, which we expect he will, he will be one to keep an eye on especially in front of goal. Will he get on the scoresheet in his United debut?

Manchester United vs Fulham Prediction

Despite a loss in their last game United played incredibly well in their game against Man City. There were a lot of positives to take away despite the result. If they can play anything close to what they did in that game - or even the FA Cup final - they should surely breeze past this Fulham side.

Fulham certainly won’t go down without a fight though as they look to improve on last season's 13th place finish. They are very capable of scoring goals and with the Red Devils defensive record we would expect them to get on the scoresheet at some point in this match.

That is why our team of professional tipping experts have determined that backing odds of 17/10 on Manchester United To Win and Both Teams To Score is the way to go in this one. £10 potentially returning £27.

Where To Watch Manchester United vs Fulham

You cannot miss the opening game of Premier League football. Manchester United host Fulham on Friday 16th August 2024 at 20:00 pm and you can check out all of the action live on Sky Sports Premier League or Sky Sports Main Event.