Fulham vs Man United Prediction: Team News and Lineups Preview

Josh Ingram is on hand to oversee a Fulham vs Man United prediction betting preview at Craven Cottage as Marco Silva’s eye European football. A well-beaten Manchester United team last time out goes to West London hoping to find something resembling a positive result or even a performance. They are currently dwelling in 13th, seven points off the top ten. 

Fulham are the more in-form side and look more dependable in every aspect of the game. It should be an interesting clash in the peculiar 19:00 TV slot on Sunday. 

Fulham vs Man United Prediction: Fulham to add to United’s woes

England, Premier League, Sunday, January 26th, 19:00 (UK)

Marco Silva is a manager whose teams I’ve always enjoyed watching, but this season, they have been excellent. Part of that is the additions they made in the summer, which have mostly been a success. Most notably, Joachim Andersen and Emile Smith Rowe have added that extra quality in areas they lacked previously. It’s a testament to Silva’s style of play that they have a decent chance of clinching European football heading into the latter stages of the campaign. 

One of the reasons I respect Silva so much is he is doing this without a really proficient goalscorer. Raul Jimenez has played well but won’t get you a head-turning volume of goals. The Mexican is the club’s top scorer with eight. Fulham has shown that it’s a real squad game in 2024/25. Memorably, Harry Wilson scored two off the bench to beat Brentford. Antoine Robinson has been their best player, the American left-back has contributed with nine assists and managed to lock down many of the best wingers in the division. 

Man United have presented as the opposite in recent years, and they’ve been awful this season. Since Ruben Amorim’s appointment, they have struggled to adapt to his three-at-the-back system, turning in some shocking performances. After the Brighton 3-1 defeat at home, the Portuguese manager made some interesting comments, saying, “We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you [media] want headlines, but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines.” What positives will this bring to his beleaguered team? Not many.

Recent performances, apart from the draw at Anfield and the FA Cup win on penalties, have left much to be desired. After the point at Anfield, Lisandro Martinez claimed, “They had changed the mindset.” Both performances against Southampton and Brighton have shown this to be completely false. They have a measly four points from the last 18 available, and as each week goes by, it’s more likely that any type of respectable finish in the European spots is increasingly unlikely.

A big problem for United is they have to break down Fulham’s robust defence. The Cottagers boast the fourth-best defence in terms of xGA with just 26.6, but they have conceded four more goals than that. Apart from flashes from Amad Diallo, it doesn’t look like Man United can consistently hurt sides. Fulham have enough to contain United, but they can hurt them on the other end in tandem. I would take almost every side in the league against United at the moment.

• Fulham vs Man United Prediction: Fulham Win (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 2.30
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET) 

Fulham vs Man United Prediction odds via bet365 as at 12:00, January 22nd, 2024. Odds may now differ.

Fulham vs Man United Injuries, Team News and Possible Lineups Prediction: Fulham’s injury luck and United’s need for wingbacks

Fulham has had the third-fewest injuries, resulting in at least 1+ games that had to be missed this season with 12. This is one of the reasons Fulham consistently performs well week after week. Marco Silva hasn’t been forced into many changes. The treatment room is almost empty, with just two members of the first team out injured. Reiss Nelson is expected back at the start of February. Kenny Tete’s long-term injury means he won’t be back until April, but Timothy Castagne at right-back has been good, meaning Tete hasn’t been missed too much. Due to the lack of injuries, rotation from game to game has given Silva options depending on the type of team he is facing. 

It’s been a similar story for fellow Portuguese manager Amorim regarding not having many injuries at the moment. The problem Amorim has is that even if everyone is fit, it seems that the players he has can’t implement his three-at-the-back style of play. The personnel is a problem, and fundamentally, to this is wing backs; United are in the market for some and will likely sign players before the window closes. They do have some injuries at the moment, with wingback/centre-back Luke Shaw out until the end of the month with a shin/heel injury. The injury-prone Mason mount, injured in his comeback, has been out for a month with a thigh injury and no confirmed return date. Until the wingbacks are replaced, playing United is not an overly big challenge. 

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge, Wilson, Smith-Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

Man United possible starting lineup:
Onana; de Ligt, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraori, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Diallo, Zirkzee

Match Stats: Fulham looking to right previous wrongs

• Fulham has not had any joy playing against United. The Cottagers have won once in 18 games against the Red Devils. 
• United won the reverse fixture 1-0 thanks to a Joshua Zirkzee goal in the 87th minute. Fulham were second best that day, only managing to create 0.44xG, while United mustered 2.43xG. 
• Alex Iwobi has scored seven times and assisted three times this season so far. It is two more than his most in a single of five in the last campaign. 

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