English Premier
2012-03-26 - Manchester United vs Fulham
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Monday 26 March 2012 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester United
Someone must have told Manchester City that it really is not the smartest thing in the World trying to start 'mind games' with the Godfather of English football, but I guess something got lost in the mix. Just days after Patrick Vieira decided to question some of the decisions made at Old Trafford, City dropped two vital points in the Premier League title race, something Manchester United will look to take advantage of in this game.
United dropped off the top of the table, but I think they would have been extremely happy to see City draw at Stoke City at the weekend meaning the two sides are level on points at the top of the table with City being 4 goals better off in the goal difference department. The team are 11-1-2 at Old Trafford this season, scoring 39 goals and conceding 15, while United are the top scorers in the Premier League so far.
Take out the disappointing 4 games played in the Europa League over the last month and you get to see the wonderful form United have been displaying to close the gap on City and now have the chance to overtake them. The team have won 8 of their last 9 games in the League, winning 5 in a row since drawing 3-3 at Chelsea. United have won all 4 games at Old Trafford since a surprise 2-3 loss to Blackburn Rovers and they have only conceded 1 goal in those wins.
Michael Owen and Nani are both absent, but Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones are back in the squad while Paul Pogba will be on the substitutes bench. After a spate of injuries at the start of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson will be very happy with the state of the squad at this moment with 9 games left to play.
Fulham
Fulham are probably around 4 points away from confirming their position in the Premier League for another season and I think they are a much happier camp after a few teething problems since the arrival of Martin Jol as manager of the club. While they won't be reaching the heights of Roy Hodgson's tenure this season, the future does look bright at Craven Cottage.
The team fell down to 13th in the Premier League table following the results over the weekend and they are now 11 points clear of QPR in the relegation zone. A win for Fulham can see them move into the top half of the table, but they would have to reverse the form that has only allowed them to compile a 2-5-7 away record, scoring 8 goals and conceding 18.
They will also need to bounce back from a 0-3 home loss to Swansea in their last game which is the second of back to back defeats in the Premier League. Fulham had won 3 consecutive League games before that, but they were heavily beaten at Manchester City around six weeks ago. Fulham have lost 4 of their last 5 away games in all competitions, while they have won just 1 of 11. However, they will look to the fact that they have earned draws at Arsenal and Chelsea (twice) this season.
There are no changes to the status of players in the Fulham squad, so they may play the same XI that lost to Swansea at home.
Head to Head
Manchester United won 0-5 at Fulham earlier on this season and have now recorded 3 wins from the last 4 games against the West London club.
Their record at Old Trafford against Fulham is imposing to say the least, winning 8 in a row at home in all competitions against them.
It has generally been a relatively easy night in the office for United when entertaining Fulham, winning their last 6 at Old Trafford by at least 2 goals each.
Prediction
The result at the Brittania Stadium should really have given the Manchester United players a boost on Saturday evening and I think they are going to be itching to get out on the field and open up a three point lead over their local rivals with 8 games left to play this season.
Manchester United have been in very good form in recent weeks and they are once again basing a lot of their success at Old Trafford down to strong defensive performances. The return of Antonio Valencia is giving United some great options going forward and there are definitely goals in the side.
Fulham were poor in a defeat at Manchester City when they almost just went through the motions, but I don't expect them to get rolled over and tickled here. However, they are a side that will allow their opponents to play football and that plays into the hands of United and it seems the reason why they have been beaten at Old Trafford on 8 consecutive occasions.
The home side are playing really well at the moment and I expect Sir Alex Ferguson will put out an attacking side with the idea of creating momentum and pushing forward in front of their own fans. They have won the last 6 at home against Fulham by at least a couple of goals and I am going to back them do so again here and really start ramping the pressure up on Manchester City.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 3-0 Fulham
