Fulham will aim to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers lost 1-2 to Aston Villa at Craven Cottage last weekend, leaving them 12th in the Premier League table. They are on a poor run of form of late, having managed just one victory in the last five top-flight games.
Marco Silva will be expecting his boys to improve and put in a strong performance against Man United, who are on a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions since the start of 2024.
Fulham Team News
Marco Silva had pretty much a full squad to choose from against Aston Villa on Saturday. Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey started on the bench after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Tosin Adarabioyo and Adama Traore were back in the squad too.
Loanee Armando Borja and Kenny Tete missed the last game due to illness and calf problems respectively, but could be back for the trip to Manchester United, while Raul Jimenez has been ruled out for at least a month with a hamstring problem.
Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha picked up his tenth yellow card of the campaign on Saturday, meaning the Portuguese midfielder will miss the games against Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Predicted Fulham lineup vs Man United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno has conceded five goals in the last three outings, so he will be desperate to improve and keep a clean sheet at Old Trafford.
Defence
In front of Leno, Fulham are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation again. Calvin Bassey, who came on as a substitute in the 1-2 loss to Villa, could replace Tim Ream and partner Issa Diop in central defence in the Fulham lineup. The duo will face an uphill task of containing a red-hot Rasmus Hojlund.
Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will operate as the full-backs, providing width, energy and creativity in the final third for the visitors while looking to keep Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho at bay.
Midfield
Harrison Reed will be the ideal candidate to replace the suspended Joao Palhinha in the defensive midfield role in the Fulham lineup. The diminutive Englishman should partner Tom Cairney in the double pivot, hoping to adequately protect the fragile backline against the home side.
Andreas Pereira should be tasked with pulling the strings from the No.10 role in the Fulham lineup, and with his creativity and flair he will look to haunt his former employers.
Attack
Alex Iwobi could get the nod ahead of Bobby Decordova-Reid on the right flank. Willian, meanwhile, is a certain fixture on the left wing in the Fulham lineup if he is passed fit in time. With their pace and directness, the Fulham wingers will look to pick Man United on the counter-attack.
Rodrigo Muniz is a man high on confidence with four goals in his last three starts. He will lead the Fulham attack against Erik ten Hag’s side, with Adama Traore and Harry Wilson hoping to make an impact off the bench.
