Fulham vs. Man U
Venue: Craven Cottage
Kick off: 1:30PM
Manchester United make the trip to West London to face Fulham knowing that victory will be enough to move into fourth place in the Premier League table.
United have not always shown their clinical side in recent weeks, and that was the case as the North-West giants registered a 1-0 victory away at Leicester City last weekend.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be delighted that his squad of players are showing the character to come through tight games after a number of free-flowing performances shortly after his appointment.
United have only really produced their best form in the FA Cup win over Arsenal, but Solskjaer remains with nine triumphs and a draw to his name after replacing Jose Mourinho in December.
The win over Leicester on Sunday was all the more impressive given that United held onto a one-goal lead for 81 minutes plus added-on time, and the Foxes were not short of opportunities at the King Power Stadium.
Solskjaer will want to see the defence and midfield work harder in order to reduce the number of chances which are being created, but keeping a shutout in such circumstances was ideal preparation ahead of the games which are to come during February.
A triple-header of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Liverpool follows today’s match against Fulham, although the focus will remain on trying to add another three points to their Premier League tally with Chelsea and Arsenal faltering around them.
Chelsea’s trip to Manchester City this weekend leaves the door open for United to leapfrog the Blues into fourth position, and land a psychological blow ahead of their cup showdown at Stamford Bridge on February 18.
United have managed to score in their last 16 outings in all competitions and given Fulham’s concerns at both ends of the pitch, it would come as a surprise if the Solskjaer bandwagon has not generated more speed.
On the other hand, many perceived Fulham’s comeback victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of January to potentially be the turning point in the club’s season, but last weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace has halted their momentum.
Claudio Ranieri would have regarded the short trip to Selhurst Park as an opportunity to move back within touching distance of their rivals above them, but the 2-0 setback has left Fulham well adrift of safety.
There are still 13 games to be played but with United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all to come before the end of March, Ranieri will know that survival is becoming an increasingly difficult task.
Fulham have a favourable run of fixtures from the start of April, but Ranieri is aware that he needs to put the club in a position where three or four wins from their last half-a-dozen outings can make a difference.
Fulham possible XI: Rico, Odoi, Le Marchand, Ream, Bryan, Chambers, Seri, Cairney, Babel, Mitrovic, Sessegnon.
Man U possible XI: De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Jones, Shaw, Fred, Herrera. Sanchez, Pogba, Martial, Lukaku.