Fulham vs Manchester United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Fulham:
Rico, Christie, Marchand, Odoi, Bryan, Seri, Chambers, Vietto, Babel, Cairney, Mitrovic
Manchester United:
De Gea, Dalot, Jones, Lindelof, Shaw, Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Martial, Lukaku, Lingard
Fulham have 17 points and sit second from the bottom, seven points clear of safety. They are deeply involved into the relegation battle and the situation looks very complicated. The actual form is poor, they have four defeats on the last five matches in the Premier League. The Cottagers only managed to beat Brighton with 4:2 two rounds ago. Last weekend they suffered a 2:0 defeat at Crystal Palace. Manager Claudio Ranieri was disappointed after the match as his team had 63 percent of the ball-possession, but had no shot on target for whole 90 minutes. Even worse, Fulham became the first side in English top-flight history to lose eight consecutive London derby matches. The poor form isn't the only problem for Ranieri as he has some unavailable players. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is ineligible to play against his parent club. Cyrus Christie and Marcus Bettinelli are both rated as doubtful through injuries, while Alfie Mawson is definitely sidelined. On the positive note, Joe Bryan has recovered from injury and started against Crystal Palace last weekend. Lazar Markovic and Havard Nordtveit, who both signed for Fulham in January transfer window, are looking for a debut.
Manchester United are unbeaten on 10 games under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In the last round they obtained a narrow 1:0 win against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Marcus Rashford continued his goalscoring form and netted the only goal in the ninth minute. It was his 10th goal of the season. Paul Pogba should also be mentioned - he registered his eighth assist in the league this season and his fifth under Solskjaer. In addition, since Solskjaer's first game in charge of Manchester United on 22 December, Pogba has had a hand in 11 Premier League goals, more than any other player (scored six and assisted five). The Red Devils sit on the fifth position, two points behind Chelsea in fourth. They are fighting for a Champions League spot and this match is very important because Chelsea will visit Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Solskjaer has most of his key players available, but it is not impossible to rotate them. As You probably know, Manchester United host Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in the top European competition. Chris Smalling is rated as doubtful due to injury, while Marcos Rojo remains sidelined. The later is set to return to first-team training this week, but this match comes too soon for him.
Fulham vs Manchester United Prediction:
I think Fulham are able to cover the handicap, meaning they won't lose with more than one goal. The Cottagers have lost just one of their last four league matches played at home. It was against Tottenham when they suffered a narrow 2:1 defeat. Manchester United host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Tuesday, so that's another reason for my pick.
Fulham vs Manchester United Pick: Fulham +1.5 AH @ 1.67 with
Pinnacle