In this article…
Man United v Fulham
📅
Kick Off: Friday 16th August at 20:00
🏆
Competition: Premier League
📺
Watch Live: Sky Sports Main Event
Manchester United and Fulham provide the opening act of the new Premier League season on Friday evening when the teams meet at Old Trafford.
United put in a performance of promise before losing the Community Shield on penalties to Manchester City last weekend, some lax finishing ultimately denied them a second win over their neighbours at Wembley inside the space of three months.
Fulham, meanwhile, will kick off Friday’s test as 5.50 underdogs, however, the Cottagers won on their last visit to the red half of Manchester in February and they are likely to pose problems for their hosts again on their return.
As the Premier League makes its long-awaited return, be sure to stick around with Andy’s Bet Club for all your football betting prediction needs. While you’re here, we have plenty of Premier League acca tips, along with a wide range of additional Premier League betting tips and foul predictions for you to sink your teeth into.
Premier League coverage isn’t the only thing on offer this week, with a constant supply of expertly researched BTTS tips, card betting tips, and player shots on target tips, we’ll be sure to keep you busy.
We have plenty more exciting selections available for this fixture over including our Man United v Fulham bet builder tips and #WhatOddsPaddy tip for Man United v Fulham.
Bruno Fernandes to be fouled 1+ times
Man United v Fulham Best Bets
United are short-priced favourites at 1.53 to collect three points on Friday evening, though combining a home win with BTTS makes for a more attractive prospect at 2.80 in what could develop into an open game in Manchester.
Fulham were able to trade punches with United on their last visit to Old Trafford in February in a contest that featured a massive 38 shots. They will have willing runners in forward positions again on Friday and they should trouble a home defence that is likely to feature some new faces.
The Cottagers must travel north without two of last season’s key defensive components (Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Palhinha) on Friday however, and a first Fulham clean sheet against United since 2009 seems unlikely.
United, who drew seven saves from Fulham keeper Bernd Leno in February, manufactured several excellent opportunities against Man City in the Community Shield and if they are similarly creative against the Londoners, they should eventually be able to outgun their visitors.
Elsewhere, Alex Iwobi offers excellent value at 2.20 to have 1+ shots on target against United. The ex-Arsenal attacker, who combined pace and power to break United’s defensive lines, was a real menace at Old Trafford in February and scored the winning goal with one of his three efforts.
The 28-year-old also racked up three attempts when United visited Craven Cottage for last season’s reverse fixture between the teams in November, and he could provide the same measure of threat on Friday evening.
📂 Man United v Fulham Cheat Sheet
There are so many ways to use our Cheat Sheets and we encourage you to find your own formula to pick a winning bet builder, however, if you’re unsure of how to use a Cheat Sheet, just click the link for some quick tips to help you make the most of it.
You can find match stats for Manchester United v Fulham on our bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off.
To make sure you’re getting the full value of the betting market, check out our list of the best betting sites for accumulators and the top bet builder sites. You can take advantage of all the latest free bet offers and free Premier League bets while our collated lists of the best UK sports betting sites and the best weekly free bet clubs are also worth browsing.
We are committed to helping you become better sports punters, so if you’re unfamiliar with certain betting terminologies, we have plenty of useful resources to keep you clued such as our xg in football article.
📊 Man United Form and Stats
Last weekend, Erik ten Hag deployed United in the same 4-2-2-2 formation that caught Man City cold in last season’s FA Cup final and that unorthodox shape almost had the same impact in the Community Shield.
The Dutchman’s tactics restricted City to just nine shots in total at Wembley Stadium, just one of which was on target, and though the Cityzens’ frontline had a more youthful look than normal, the standard of United’s defending at Wembley was a massive step up from last season’s shambolic stuff.
Further forward, United created better chances and triumphed in terms of xGF across numerous post-game models. Marcus Rashford in particular, was guilty of fluffing his lines when presented with excellent opportunities in either half.
However, as promising as United’s showing was, it remains to be seen whether they stick with the “double false nine” system against Fulham on Friday. My best guess would suggest that a more expansive approach will be adopted in a game they will expect to dominate in terms of territory.
United lodged a possession figure of close to 60% when they last hosted Fulham in February, so expect similar on Friday. Community Shield goalscorer Alejandro Garnacho was a real livewire when he was introduced off the bench against City and the Argentinean, who had two attempts at Wembley, might have done enough to earn a starting berth against Fulham.
Casemiro could be a player to track closely in the tackles market this week. The Brazilian looked trim and battle-ready against City and the 32-year-old made a game-high seven tackles in the Community Shield. Midweek signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are both in line to make their debuts.
📊 Fulham Form and Stats
Fulham’s squad has been impacted by some high profile outgoings over the summer. However, they can still field ten of the 11 players who started in February’s win at Old Trafford on their return to the venue on Friday.
Prolific fouler Joao Palhinha has joined Bayern Munich, much to the disappointment of Premier League card market enthusiasts, while cult hero Tim Ream and fellow centre half, Tosin Adarabioyo, have also departed.
Fulham finished 13th last term, though they were better positioned than United for xGA (62.9 to 68.9). The Cottagers collected 1.52 points per home game compared to just 1.05 per fixture on the road, and their surprise win at United in February was one of only four away wins across their entire Premier League campaign.
Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz was a revelation after the turn of the year and the 24-year-old scored nine times in 16 Premier League appearances between February 3rd and May 19th, while averaging a sizeable 4.12 shots and 1.47 shots on target per 90.
With Palhinha gone, it will be interesting to see who takes on the mantle as Fulham’s chief enforcer in midfield. Serbian Sasa Lukic, who committed 2.20 fouls per 90 minutes last season, is the likeliest candidate to pick up the slack there.
Fulham did some decent prep work for the new campaign, recording victories over Benfica (1-0) and Hoffenheim (2-0) during their pre-season programme, so they are unlikely to be short on confidence at Old Trafford.
Club-record summer signing, Emile Smith Rowe, scored in that win over Hoffenheim and the 24-year-old, who has notched against United in Manchester before (Dec ’21), will be eager to make a positive impression on his competitive debut.
⚔️ Man United v Fulham Head-to-Head
Fulham’s overall record against Manchester United makes for bleak reading for those of a Cottagers persuasion, however, their 2-1 triumph at Old Trafford on February 24th was richly deserved and should provide a blueprint to follow in Friday’s rematch.
That against-the-odds victory was only Fulham’s fourth in 34 previous encounters with United in the Premier League and their first win at the Theatre of Dreams since 2003.
A gameplan built around hard tackles and fast breaks allowed Fulham to thrive against United in February and the Cottagers were a real threat right from the first whistle. Indeed, they mustered five attempts inside the first 25 minutes, rattled the woodwork once and finished the first half well on top in the xG battle (0.80 to 0.36).
Fulham were also happy to lean on the dark arts of break-up play when they were on the back foot and committed six fouls to United’s one in the opening 45 minutes of the skirmish. The visitors had three players cautioned before half time and an aggressive early approach might be the order of the day from Marco Silva again on Friday.
United struggled to cope with the running power and ball-carrying expertise of Rodrigo Muniz and eventual match-winner, Alex Iwobi, in February. That pair powered through massive gaps in United’s middle and defensive thirds time and time again in Fulham’s win, and clocked eight shots between them (Muniz, five and Iwobi, three).
Captain Bruno Fernandes was United’s chief source of inspiration in the final third against the Cottagers six months ago. The midfielder hit the target with four of his five efforts against Fulham, though consolation goalscorer, Harry Maguire (four shots) almost matched Fernandes’ output. The towering centre half could be a threat from set plays again, if he starts.
In terms of goalscoring patterns, February’s 2-1 Fulham win was the ninth time in 11 meetings between the clubs that both teams scored and the ninth time in 11 previous encounters when over 2.5 goals landed.
* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
