Preview: Fulham v United



Date, time and coverage: Saturday 2 February, 17:30 GMT. The match will be shown on ESPN and you can also follow it live via ManUtd.com’s radio and text commentaries.

Form guide: United moved seven points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League with victory over Southampton on Wednesday, extending an unbeaten run in the top flight to 12 games. The Reds are also top scorers in the division with 59 goals and recently put four past Fulham during last weekend’s FA Cup triumph at Old Trafford. The Cottagers are boosted, however, by a midweek victory over West Ham, moving them up to 12th and eight points clear of the relegation zone.


Ins and outs: Javier Hernandez missed Wednesday’s match with a mild hip injury but could feature on Saturday. Ashley Young (knee)is still out while Jonny Evans is in contention to return from a hamstring problem. Fulham might be without ex-Reds Kieran Richardson and Dimitar Berbatov, who pulled his hamstring in midweek, while Simon Davies, Karim Frei and Mahamadou Diarra are out.

Last meeting: Last weekend, United swept Fulham aside to march into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a clinical 4-1 victory. Ryan Giggs opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just two minutes, before two goals from Chicharito and another from Wayne Rooney wrapped up a comfortable win, with Aaron Hughes netting a late consolation.

Did you know? In all competitions, Rooney has scored five goals in his last four starts against Fulham while Giggs has netted twice in three. Also, Sir Alex has signed just three players from Craven Cottage during his 26 year reign as Reds manager – Louis Saha, Edwin van der Sar and Chris Smalling.

Opposition boss: Fulham manager Martin Jol admitted his team were lucky not to suffer a humiliating loss after seeing United canter to a 4-1 cup win last weekend: “It was still 1-0 at half-time so we were still in it, but we came out and they scored two early goals and the game was finished. Luckily enough, they only scored a fourth goal because it could have been one of those days when they scored six or seven. But it's a one-off game. For us the most important thing is the league.”

Star man: On Thursday, the Cottagers signed AC Milan’s Urby Emanuelson on loan until the end of the 2012/13 season and the Dutch international could make his debut against the Reds on Saturday. The 26-year-old, a product of Ajax’s fabled academy, can play on the left of defence or midfield and previously worked under Jol at the Amsterdam Arena during the 2009/10 campaign.

Quote/unquote: "Fulham's home record is very good and has been for a few years. They're one of the few clubs that get full houses every year. I don't think the pitch is as tight as people make out - the size is good but it's the tightness around it that make it feel small. There's always a good atmosphere and that's important." - Sir Alex.

Whistle-blower: Kevin Friend, a member of the Select Group of referees since the 2009/10 season, will be the man in the middle. The Leicester-based official has taken charge of 23 matches this campaign, dishing out 80 yellow cards and two reds.

Preview by ManUTD.com

"A hamstring injury has robbed Fulham fans of seeing their new hero Dimitar Berbatov face his former employers, leaving Hugo Rodallega with the bulk of the goalscoring responsibility. "

Berba misses todays game.Is this good news or bad news?

Fulham away is always a tough match. But i think United have an excellent record there. Expecting a united win

Fulham 0-2 Manchester United . GLORY UNITED !

eddyeddy5 wrote:Fulham 0-2 Manchester United . GLORY UNITED !

Oh, it would be amazing to see us keeping a clean sheet against Fulham.

I predict that we will concede at least one goal and we will struggle to win.

We need the victory, no matter how . And if Liverpool win against City , would be amazing .

Welcome to the forum mate

Thank you mate !

Fulham-United 1-2...Robin van persie x2 .

Rio Ferdinand is keen to extend his stay at Manchester United but is unconcerned by a lack of discussions about a new contract.

Ferdinand's current deal expires in the summer and the 34-year-old is happy to be patient over a new contract .

He told The Sun: "Of course I would want to stay, 100 per cent, provided I'm still playing like I am and feeling as good as I am at the moment.

"Manchester United is a great club, the number one, and you would never want to play anywhere else if you can still play for them.

"I want to be able to contribute properly and to be a player they actually need. You can tell if you're not really needed at a club any more. You just know.

"We are not in discussions about a new contract at the moment and I'm fine with that because of the understanding I have with the manager.

"I don't expect to be treated any different to the other older players like Giggsy or Scholesy, who normally sign on again at the end of the season."

Really nice topic btw..

Welcome you all

@boots to asses

You are using the Belgium flag.Swap it with the Romanian one.

BTW, welcome guys!

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I am curious to see if Anderson will start again in the first XI.

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Opta stats:

Manchester United have won five and lost none of their last six Premier League matches against Fulham.

Dimitar Berbatov has scored in three of the four previous occasions he has played in this fixture, while a Manchester United player.

United's total of 27 comeback points this season has only been bettered by one team in PL history (Newcastle with 34 in 2001-02).

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Possible Manchester United Line-up:

First XI: De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Jones, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley, Nani, Rooney, Valencia, Van Persie.

Subs: Anderson, Giggs, Smalling, Hernandez, Welbz, Kagawa, Amos.

Fulham 0-2 United
Can't wait !

dzen wrote:Fulham 0-2 United
Can't wait !

Welcome !

lol are you all friends or what?

Idiot wrote:lol are you all friends or what?

I invited them here.We know each other from another forum.

oh cool, i thought it was 1 guy trolling xD, welcome all, good luck today

Lights on.Party time!

lights going off

United should have been ahead. Post thrice

Nice goal by Rooney!

vladdy wrote:

eddyeddy5 wrote:Fulham 0-2 Manchester United . GLORY UNITED !

Oh, it would be amazing to see us keeping a clean sheet against Fulham.

I predict that we will concede at least one goal and we will struggle to win.

Clean sheet . We struggled to win this game .

dzen wrote:Nice goal by Rooney!

World class finishing .

Hi, guys! It was a wonderful game, majestic performances from the goalkeepers, one somewhat funny moment with the floodlights and one exquisite finish from Rooney. Nice to see him get into double digits in the league.

Rooney he's lethal in key moments... Wish juve would have an attacker like him ... Do you rate him higher than RVP ? he was underrated this season, everyone giving credit to Van Persie, but every time Rooney plays he gives United a more dynamic and unpredictable look.. His touches, vision and decision making are always spot on..

Was a great finish by Rooney.

RVP: great efficiency, consistent performer, wonderful touch and technique(up there with the very best), great finisher, puts in a fair amount of effort.
Rooney: goal-wise decent efficiency, at times a fairly inconsistent performer, however, good touch and technique, good finisher sometimes, frustrating to watch him miss chances at other times, he puts in major amounts of effort (he's basically everywhere on the pitch), his passing and vision are second to none, he aids the defence.
Wayne's game has transformed drastically I would say after 2007-2008. He has lost a lot of that raw, yet pure flair and element of surprise (although he still shows glimpses of that), but he has become a more team-oriented, cerebral and, overall, a more beneficial player for United.

Rooney vs RVP. Hmm, hard decision. IMO, I would say that RVP is the better striker, but Rooney is the better player.