Manchester United vs Fulham Preview

After over two months of no club football, the Premier League returns this Friday with Manchester United hosting Fulham in the opening game of the season.

The Reds Devils have already begun their season as they were in Community Shield action last Sunday. But their first game ended in disappointment as despite putting up a good fight, they were beaten on penalties by their city rivals Manchester City.

Despite the defeat, there’s still plenty of optimism around Old Trafford for this Premier League campaign. The sense of optimism is largely due to their business in the transfer market, with Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui being the latest additions to the squad.

This will be the eighth consecutive season United open their campaign on home soil (W5, L2), and Erik ten Hag will be desperate to add another victory to that record after overseeing a disastrous 2023/24. The Red Devils’ 14 league defeats was their highest total since 1989/90, one of which came on this ground against Fulham (2-1), ending an 18-match unbeaten H2H run (W15, D3).

That win was Fulham’s first victory at Old Trafford since October 2003 (W14, D2) and the result helped them to another mid-table finish in their second season since returning to the top flight. However, things may be more difficult this season as Marco Silva’s squad has lost the experience of tenured captain Tim Ream and midfield destroyer João Palhinha over the summer.

Still, the addition of Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal has Cottagers fans excited ahead of the new campaign. The Englishman is likely to start this game and with him on the side, Fulham will be looking to avoid defeat on Match Day One. The good news is that they have not tasted defeat on the opening day in both seasons since their latest promotion (W1, D1).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table