English Premier
2013-02-02 - Fulham vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 2 February 2013 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Fulham
It was a huge three points for Fulham on Wednesday night as they beat West Ham United here at Craven Cottage to move away from potential relegation worries. There is still some work to be done for Martin Jol in what has been a difficult season thanks to sales of Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey in the Summer. Now they have a chance to avenge their FA Cup defeat last weekend at Old Trafford as they host Manchester United.
Thanks to the win over West Ham, Fulham moved up to 12th in the Premier League and they now have 28 points to their name which leaves them 8 points clear of the relegation zone. With the sides in the bottom four beginning to pick up points, it was a very important win for Fulham on Wednesday night. The side have a 5-3-4 record at Craven Cottage this season, scoring 21 goals and conceding 16 in those games.
Fulham had not won any of their previous 5 games in all competitions before the win against West Ham. They had won 1 of their previous 8 games at Craven Cottage in all competitions before Wednesday night, although they have now lost just 1 of their last 6 games here. 3 of Fulham's 4 home defeats have come against sides currently in the top 8 of the Premier League.
Kieran Richardson should be available to play against one of his former clubs, but the bigger concern is the availability of Dimitar Berbatov who will need to pass a late fitness test to face his former team-mates.
Manchester United
It was largely a disappointing performance from Manchester United on Wednesday night, but the bottom line is they have picked up another three points and have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson won't take anything for granted considering they had an 8 point lead with 6 games left last season and still failed to win the League and he will want a reaction from what was a poor performance.
Manchester United extended their lead to 7 points at the top of the Premier League thanks to their win over Southampton and Manchester City's failure to win at Queens Park Rangers. They have an 8-2-2 record away from home this season, scoring 27 goals and conceding 16 and that means they have the most away wins in the League so far and are also the top away scorers.
A 2-3 win at Manchester City was the start of a 12 game unbeaten run for Manchester United which was extended with the 2-1 win over Southampton on Wednesday. United are unbeaten in their last 6 away games in all competitions, although they have drawn 3 of their last 4 on their travels.
Jonny Evans and Ashley Young are the two absentees in the squad and both are in a race against time to be passed fit for the game against Real Madrid in Spain in two weeks time.
Head to Head
Manchester United have beaten Fulham twice at Old Trafford this season, winning 3-2 in a League game and then beating them 4-1 in the FA Cup last weekend.
United won 0-5 here at Craven Cottage last season, but recent visits to this part of West London have not been the most productive.
Fulham had won 2 and drawn 1 of their previous 3 Premier League home games against United before last season.
Prediction
The win for Manchester United here last season will have removed the mental burden of playing at Craven Cottage for the players considering the amount of bad luck United have suffered through here in their previous 3 visits to the ground.
Fulham will also need to play a lot better than when they met United last weekend in the FA Cup- in that game a 4-1 loss flattered Fulham who were distinctly average.
The absence of Dimitar Berbatov would be huge for the home side and I don't think they are the same force of a season ago and are changing the team to Martin Jol's liking since Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele moved on.
I am expecting goals in the game and I think United will come out on the right side of the result. Fulham are capable of getting on the scoreboard themselves and I like United to win a game with a few goals scored.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Fulham 1-2 Manchester United
