TEAM NEWS
Ashley Young is available following a one-match suspension but Victor Lindelof and Alexis Sanchez remain out.
Manchester United will assess the fitness of Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones, who are all nursing injuries.
Fulham pair Kevin McDonald and Floyd Ayite are expected to return from respective hamstring and groin injuries. On-loan defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah is ineligible to face his parent club.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@alistairmann01: Though it’s Fulham who is at the bottom, there are many more questions being posed about Manchester United.
Without a win in four and some 18 points behind their city rivals at the top, a much-improved display against Arsenal in midweek is still some way off silencing their many critics.
Considering Fulham’s appalling away record and an equally depressing recent run of results at Old Trafford, anything other than a United win this weekend seems improbable. However, with four points in three games since Claudio Ranieri’s arrival, the Cottagers won’t have written off their chances.
With low expectations and pivotal games against West Ham, Newcastle, Wolves and Huddersfield to end December, Fulham will be viewing this game as a free hit.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: “I sat here a few weeks ago speaking about December month and no defeats.
“That’s a reality: good fights, good spirit, but just one victory against Young Boys and three draws and we need points. But Fulham is the same, they need points.”
Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri on Jose Mourinho: “He was the first who sent me a message to say welcome back. He is a very friendly friend.
“I know him for a long time, when he came to Chelsea and in Italy, and he was very polite with me. He’s a great man, coach, manager.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
United have a few issues with their manager and with different areas of their team but the bottom line is that they just cannot seem to win a game – Wednesday’s draw with Arsenal was their fourth league game in a row without a victory.
Surely that has to change at home to the Premier League’s bottom club, even taking into consideration that Fulham have improved under Claudio Ranieri.
Prediction: 2-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester United have won 21 of their 23 home matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Fulham’s only victory at Old Trafford was by 3-1 in the Premier League in October 2003.
- The Cottagers have suffered 18 Premier League defeats against United – only Arsenal, with 19 wins, have beaten them more often.
Manchester United
- A defeat for the Red Devils would result in their lowest points tally after 16 matches of a Premier League campaign.
- They could draw four straight Premier League matches for the first time since 1992.
- United could also equal the club’s longest winless run versus promoted opposition of four games.
- They have made a league-high 46 changes to their starting line-up this season.
- Jose Mourinho is aiming for a 50th Premier League win as United manager in his 92nd game. It took him 63 matches to earn 50 wins in his first spell at Chelsea, and 73 in his second spell.
- United have conceded 10 Premier League goals at Old Trafford this season, already surpassing their total goals against at home in 2017-18.
Fulham
- They are winless in 10 Premier League away games, losing their last six in a row – their worst run for 12 years.
- Fulham’s tally of nine points after 15 league games is their joint-worst at this stage of a league season, level with 1993-94 in the third tier.
- They have conceded 36 goals in 15 Premier League games this season – only Barnsley, with 40 in 1997-98, have conceded more at this stage.
- The Cottagers could set a new club record of 20 top-flight fixtures without a clean sheet.
- They have lost 19 of their last 20 matches against last season’s top six, drawing the other.
- Claudio Ranieri could become only the third manager to win a Premier League away game at Old Trafford with two different clubs, emulating Martin O’Neill and Rafael Benitez.
Source: BBC News
