The English Premier League season returns on Friday when Manchester United host Fulham at Previous Trafford.
- Who: Manchester United vs Fulham
- What: English Premier League opening sport
- The place: Previous Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
- When: 8pm native time (19:00 GMT) on Friday, August 15
- How you can observe: Al Jazeera Sport could have all of the build-up and full textual content commentary of the sport
Manchester United kick off the brand new English Premier League season with the go to of Fulham on Friday however there are simply as many questions surrounding the membership as there have been when the final marketing campaign ended.
These areas of doubt have been added to on Thursday when United supervisor Erik ten Hag revealed his facet “just isn’t prepared however the league begins”.
The Dutchman, who noticed his facet lose 3-0 to Liverpool of their remaining preseason match, added, “We will’t cover from it. We have now to take care of it.”
The truth that it was the guests Fulham who supplied one of many Crimson Devils’ largest upsets final season is not going to be misplaced on ten Hag.
The west London membership gained 2-1 at Previous Trafford in February following an underwhelming show by the house facet that noticed Fulham take the lead by Calvin Bassey. Harry Maguire levelled issues with one minute of regular time to play, providing United hope of an unlikely and undeserved win, nevertheless it was the guests that got here away with all three factors after Alex Iwobi settled issues 60 seconds after Maguire’s objective.
That end result marked the beginning of a 17-game run to complete the season throughout which United recorded solely six wins alongside 5 defeats.
A kind of victories was Might’s FA Cup remaining win in opposition to rivals Manchester Metropolis – a sport that will properly have saved ten Hag’s job. The Dutchman must wait till early July to listen to that the season assessment, by the brand new homeowners of soccer operations on the membership INEOS, resulted in a contract extension. The period leaves query marks as to how wholeheartedly the Jim Ratcliffe-owned group imagine in ten Hag and a pointy focus will likely be on early season outcomes.
Fulham gained solely two of their remaining 9 Premier League video games on the finish of final season – struggling 4 defeats in that run – however completed in a greater than respectable thirteenth spot.
It was their away file that noticed them slip from the Tenth-placed end they achieved the yr earlier than. That yr, solely 5 groups betted Fulham’s seven league wins on the highway, and solely three groups conceded fewer than Fulham’s 24 on their travels. However final yr, life on the highway was far harder.
Marco Silva’s facet managed solely 4 away wins, a type of being at Previous Trafford, and simply 5 sides conceded greater than the 37 they shipped at opposition venues.
The lack of key defenders Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea and Tim Ream to Main League Soccer membership Charlotte FC is not going to assist issues for Silva, nevertheless it could possibly be the departure of Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich that leaves the largest gap within the Londoners’ facet.
For United, signing defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich this week will ease considerations on the again and Joshua Zirkzee may also be anticipated to hit the bottom working after Dutch striker joined from Bologna.
The largest increase that ten Hag may maybe have hoped for was the contract extension that his captain Bruno Fernandes has signed with the membership. The Portuguese midfielder has been United’s standout participant in lots of a darkish hour lately and no participant has higher captured the Crimson Devils’ swagger of outdated than the 29-year-old, whose new three-year deal was introduced on Wednesday.
Manchester United crew information
Leny Yoro will likely be unavailable for 3 months with a foot harm sustained in preseason in opposition to Arsenal. The 18-year-old defender was a summer time signing from Lille.
United may also be with out striker Rasmus Hojlund and defender Luke Shaw for the go to or Fulham.
Harry Maguire will likely be given a late health check after the central defender picked up a knock within the Group Protect, which implies new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui may each be handed debuts.
Fulham crew information
Fulham enter the season with a totally match squad to take with them to Previous Trafford.
New file signing Emile Smith Rowe, who arrived from Arsenal, ought to make his aggressive debut for the Cottagers.
Head-to-head
This would be the 89th assembly between the golf equipment with the primary fixture coming in London in March 1908 within the FA Cup – very like the final assembly it resulted in a 2-1 win for Fulham.
United have gained 56 of the encounters to Fulham’s 14. Previous to final season’s win, Fulham had not crushed United since a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage in March 2009. A run of 15 wins in 18 video games adopted for United.
