Manchester United vs Fulham Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups
Best Bets for Manchester United vs Fulham
- Fulham Victory with odds of @5.34 on 1xBet, equating to a 19% chance of the London club winning.
- Emile Smith-Rowe to score with odds of @5.50 on 1xBet, indicating a 22% chance of the signing from Arsenal scoring.
- Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals with odds of @1.7.5 on 1xBet, representing a 55.6% chance for both clubs to find the back of the net and for there to be at least three goals scored.
Fulham can spring a surprise and beat Manchester United by a scoreline of 1-3.
Our Analysis: Form of Both Teams
Manchester United will host Fulham in the opening game of the new Premier League season on Friday night at 8pm. This highly anticipated clash at Old Trafford marks the beginning of another exciting campaign in England's top flight.
The Red Devils open their campaign on home soil for the eighth successive season. Following their record-low 8th place finish in the Premier League last term, they will be desperate to get off to a good start. However, many of the same issues remain.
Fulham have been a solid mid-table side since their promotion back to the Premier League after winning the Championship in 2021/22. They will be keen to get off to a strong start this season to prove that losing the influential Joao Palhinha will not see them sucked towards the bottom three.
Probable Lineups for Manchester United vs Fulham
The probable lineup for Manchester United in the "4-2-3-1"
Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Mazraoui; Casemiro, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee
The probable lineup for Fulham in the "4-2-3-1”
Bernd Leno; Robinson, Cuenca, Bassey, Castagne; Lukic, Pereira; Smith-Rowe, Iwobi, Traore; Muniz
It’s Ful steam ahead in season opener
Fulham have fond memories of their last visit to Old Trafford in February. They claimed their first win at the famous stadium since 2003, a run which had seen them fail to win in 18 attempts.
Joao Palhinha is a big loss in midfield, especially from a defensive perspective. Still, the addition of Emile Smith-Rowe could prove to be a masterstroke. If this turns into a shoot-out, the Cottagers have more than enough firepower to outgun the hosts.
Not only did Manchester United finish in their lowest position of the Premier League era last season, but they lost the most league games since 1990, with a total of 14. A morale boosting win in the Community Shield was snatched from them by their city rivals last weekend and they went on to lose after a penalty shootout.
- Manchester United vs Fulham Bet 1: Fulham Victory @ 5.34 on 1xBet
Super Smith-Rowe to have a go
Fulham broke their transfer record to bring Emile Smith-Rowe to the club for a reported £34m. If he performs as expected, any interested party will have to more than double that to take him off their hands.
Not so long ago, the 24-year-old was being tipped as the next big thing upon winning the first of his three England caps. Injury problems have paused that, but his minutes in pre-season give reason to hope those issues are behind him.
The ex-Arsenal man has seamlessly slotted into the Fulham lineup, scoring in both of his appearances for the new club. Mikel Arteta described him as a “joy to watch”, but Manchester United fans may disagree on Friday night.
- Manchester United vs Fulham Bet 2: Emile Smith-Rowe Anytime Scorer @ 5.50 on 1xBet
End-to-end entertainment expected
Many of Manchester United’s woes last season were built on an inability to defend. Erik ten Hag saw his side ship a whopping 58 league goals, another unwanted record in the Premier League era.
It could have been a lot worse due to allowing an average of 17.6 shots per game across the campaign. Only Sheffield United (17.8) faced more and they ended up conceding an EPL record of 104 goals on their way to finishing bottom.
The Red Devils clearly have the talent to trouble a Fulham defence, who conceded 61 times. As already mentioned, Palhinha will be a big defensive loss, and central defender Issa Diop is suspended for this clash.
At the other end, however, not only does Marco Silva have Smith-Rowe to call on, but one of the surprise packages of last season. Rodrigo Muniz scored nine goals, but only started 18 league games.
It was also great to see Raul Jimenez get back amongst the goals, including scoring two on the last day of the season. They may share the workload on Friday, but either or both have the ability to get on the scoresheet.
- Manchester United vs Fulham Bet 3: Both Teams to Score and over 2.5 goals @ 1.7.5 on 1xBet