FULHAM V UNITED: YOUR ESSENTIAL MATCH PREVIEW
Manchester United face a second away game in a row as we travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in the weekend’s early kick-off in the Premier League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are hoping to build on our 1-0 win against Leicester City last out time out, when Marcus Rashford’s strike after nine minutes saw us take all three points against the Foxes.
That victory was our fourth Premier League away win in succession and a fifth in all competitions since Ole took caretaker charge of the team.
The Reds ran out 4-1 winners in December’s clash with the Cottagers and three points against Claudio Ranieri’s side this time around would, at least temporarily, lift us into the top four.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game…
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?
The game kicks off at 12:30 GMT on Saturday and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to MUTV will be able to enjoy live build-up to the match from 11:00 GMT in the 'Match Day' programme, while you can also follow our coverage of the match on ManUtd.com and in the Official App, which you can download here.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
The Reds have a full-strength squad to pick from for the match, which means defender Chris Smalling is available for the trip to his old club. The centre-back has not played since picking up a foot injury in the home game against Fulham two months ago, but could return this weekend. With a busy schedule coming up, Ole could be tempted to rotate his squad on Saturday, especially given the huge clash against Paris Saint-Germain next week. United also face Chelsea and Liverpool later this month before the return leg against PSG at the start of March. To find out the manager’s latest team plans make sure to tune in to Ole’s pre-match press conference on Friday, which is live on MUTV.
WHAT ABOUT FULHAM?
The Londoners could give debuts to Lazar Markovic and Havard Nordtveit this weekend. The duo joined Fulham on transfer-deadline day but were not ready to be included in their matchday squad for the last outing against Crystal Palace. However, with a week’s training under their belts, Markovic and Nordtveit could be selected against the Reds. Andre Schurrle might also feature after missing the previous game through injury. On the other hand, one man who won’t be playing is United loanee Tim Fosu-Mensah, with the defender ineligible for selection against his parent side. Saturday’s hosts with also be without Marcus Bettinelli, who is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery last week, and long-term absentee Alfie Mawson.
HOW ARE THEY GETTING ON?
Fulham lost 2-0 against Palace last week, their fifth defeat in the last six. However, the Cottagers have been more reliable at home in recent weeks and have won two of the last three league games at the Cottage, with the one loss coming at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the dying seconds. Fulham overcame a two-goal deficit in their last home match and emerged as 4-2 winners against Brighton in a real thriller. Despite sitting 19th in table with 17 points from 25 games, there have been signs of a revival from Fulham recently, something United must be wary of on Saturday.
ONE TO WATCH
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been the main man for Fulham this season, scoring 10 goals in 25 Premier League games. The striker joined the Cottagers on loan from Newcastle United last year and helped fuel their late surge up the Championship table, which ultimately saw them gain promotion. Mitrovic made the switch permanent in the summer and has since been a colossal presence up front for Ranieri’s men. The 24-year-old has scored in all four of Fulham’s league wins this season and, without his goals, the west London club would be 10 points worse off in the table.
WHAT’S OUR RECORD LIKE AGAINST FULHAM?
We have previously faced Fulham on 83 occasions, the first of which took place in 1905. Over the years, United have enjoyed the clashes with the Cottagers, winning 50 of the past meetings, drawing 19 and losing just 14. In the Premier League era, the Reds have also won 19 of the 27 games against Saturday’s opponents. This is our first trip to Craven Cottage since 2013, when we won 3-1 thanks to goals from Antonio Valencia, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney.
WHO’S THE REFEREE?
Paul Tierney will oversee proceedings at Craven Cottage on Saturday. The 23-year-old has been in charge of two United matches this season, both of which we won 2-1. The first game was our trip to Bournemouth in November and the latter was our victory against Brighton three weeks ago. Eddie Smart and Mick McDonough are Tierney’s assistants, while Graham Scott will assume the role of fourth official.
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