The State of Play
Manchester United’s second season under Erik ten Hag has been anything but a smooth ride, yet things may now be looking up for the Red Devils on and off the pitch.
Indeed, United are unbeaten in all competitions since the turn of the year, with last week’s 2-1 victory over Luton Town making it five Premier League wins on the bounce for Ten Hag’s men.
Their performance at Kenilworth Road may have been less than convincing, with both Casemiro and Harry Maguire fortunate to avoid being sent off before half-time, but Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace ultimately proved decisive, and United are now within just five points of the top four.
Off the pitch, this week brought confirmation that Jim Ratcliffe’s minority takeover had received approval from the Premier League. Champions League qualification is United’s first aim in this new era, and momentum seems to be with them.
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Opponents Fulham sit safely in mid-table, six points adrift of the top half and nine clear of the relegation zone, but Marco Silva will be desperate for a response after their error-strewn 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last week.
Ollie Watkins scored either side of half-time to hand Villa all three points at Craven Cottage, with Silva’s men unable to complete the fightback after Rodrigo Muniz reduced their arrears.
Despite Muniz finding form with a run of four goals in his last three league games, Fulham have underwhelmed since the turn of the year, only winning one of their five league games so far in 2024 (two draws, two defeats).
Fulham suffered three defeats to United in 2023, with the most heartbreaking of those coming in the FA Cup quarter-finals on this ground last March. Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal put the Cottagers ahead, but with Wembley in their sights, the Serbian joined Willian and Silva in seeing red as they capitulated to a 3-1 loss.
Could revenge be on the cards on Saturday?
Fight for the three points. ⚔️
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) FEBRUARY 22, 2024
Team News
United have a few selection issues to contend with ahead of this game, with Luke Shaw unlikely to feature again this season after suffering a leg injury.
In-form striker Hojlund will also miss out after sustaining a muscle issue, while Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are also unavailable.
Fulham, meanwhile, will be without arguably their most important player in midfield enforcer Joao Palhinha, who must serve a two-match ban after racking up 10 yellow cards for the season. Raul Jimenez is still out with a hamstring problem, though Armando Broja is available again after recovering from a bout of illness.
Stepping up 👣#MUFC || #PL PIC.TWITTER.COM/D11QPP1VKZ
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) FEBRUARY 23, 2024
Expected Line-ups
Man Utd: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Lindelof; Mainoo, Casemiro; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Reed, Cairney; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Wilson; Muniz.
What they Said
Ten Hag on Hojlund’s injury:
“It’s a small injury, he will be two or three weeks. That is the risk of playing and high intensity training. It’s not a big injury but he has to wait now for two or three weeks.”
Silva on United’s recent improvement:
“They are more confident, if you look at them they are achieving so many good results both home and away.
“They have top players who can decide a game in any moment. It’s going to be a challenging one for us but we are ready to fight for the three points.”
“We are aligned.” 🤝
Erik shares Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s vision for Manchester United 📈#MUFC || #PL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) FEBRUARY 23, 2024
When and How to Watch
Saturday’s game will kick off at 15:00 at Old Trafford, and it will not be televised live in the UK.
Prediction
While United have been picking up results in recent weeks, their performances still leave plenty to be desired, and Fulham will fancy their chances of remaining competitive here.
The absence of Hojlund will be a major blow for the Red Devils, with Marcus Rashford often flattering to deceive in a central role. Fulham have twice gone close to upsetting Liverpool this season and did manage a 2-1 win over Arsenal before the turn of the year, so we fancy them to find the net, but United’s quality should tell in a hard-fought 2-1 home win.
Predict Matchweek 26’s results! 👇
Aston Villa ❓-❓ Nott’m Forest
Brighton ❓-❓ Everton
Crystal Palace ❓-❓ Burnley
Man Utd ❓-❓ Fulham
Bournemouth ❓-❓ Man City
Arsenal ❓-❓ Newcastle
Wolves ❓-❓ Sheffield Utd
West Ham ❓-❓ Brentford— Premier League (@premierleague) FEBRUARY 23, 2024
