Fulham-Manchester United Preview

Fulham vs Manchester United

Saturday March 21 2009, Craven Cottage

Kickoff: 15:00

Fulham

Fulham defeated Bolton Wanderer's 3-1 away in their last league match, their first win in four league outings, and their first victory on the road this season.

In their last five matches, Fulham have won two, drawn one and lost two, picking up seven points from the 15 available. The Cottagers are currently ninth in the league, two points clear of 10th place Manchester City, and one point behind eighth placed Wigan.

Fulham currently have no reported injury concerns.

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Manchester United

Manchester United lost 4-1 at home to Liverpool in their last match, the Red Devils' first league loss in 17 straight matches, and their first league loss at home this season.

In their last five, Man Utd have won four and lost one, earning 12 of the possible 15 points. They are currently top of the league, leading second placed Chelsea and third placed Liverpool by four points, with a game in hand.

Manchester United will be without Owen Hargreaves and Wes Brown, whilst Gary Neville and Rafael are still doubtful.

Man Utd will also be without Nemanja Vidic for two matches, after the defender picked up a red card in the game against Liverpool. 

Prediction

Manchester United beat Fulham 3-0 earlier this season at Old Trafford, whilst last season's Fulham-Manchester United fixture also ended in a 3-0 Man United victory. Sir Alex Ferguson's side also posted a convincing 4-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage only two weeks ago, in the FA Cup quartefinals.

Fulham's win against Bolton may serve to reinvigorate the Cottagers, after a few disappointing results for the squad. On the other side of the pitch, it will be interesting to see how Manchester United respond after last week's thrashing at the hands of rivals Liverpool.

The Premier League title is still very much in the hands of the Red Devils at this point, but with Chelsea and Liverpool hot on their heels, Manchester United cannot afford to make any mistakes in the run-in.

Sir Alex Ferguson said that his team will respond with a strong performance after last week's result, and this is exactly what the defending champions are likely to do.

Manchester United will go into this match as heavy favourites for the victory, and a greater margin than expected may even result as the Red Devils go out to prove a point. However, with Fulham holding a great home record (having only lost three matches at Craven Cottage all season), it may prove to be a tough fixture.

Although the thought in the back of one's mind may be as to whether United will crack under the pressure following last week's demoralising defeat, all signs point towards the reigning champions overcoming adversity and continuing their near-faultless recent run of results with a victory in this match.

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