After the greatest manager and greatest team in football history (😁) brushed aside two fairly average opponents, Michael Carrick’s United are chasing a third straight win against Full of ham.
Strangely enough, this fixture feels tougher – and arguably more important – than the games against City and Arsenal. Not because Fulham are better, but because this is exactly the type of match United have repeatedly tripped over, not just this season but for years.
Beating the big sides grabs headlines. Taking care of games like this is what proves a real corner has been turned.
Approach
☝ This is exactly why this game feels more important than the previous two.
In the Derby and at the Emirates, Carrick went conservative: defend deep, stay compact, and counter quickly.
It worked.
But that approach isn’t sustainable every week. Sitting off teams and relying purely on transitions and moments won’t always get results, and if United are passive and still end up losing, the negativity around the style will only grow.
This is the type of match where United have to take the initiative.
United average just 52.6% possession this season. For a side expected to control games, that’s modest. More importantly, we've often defended too close to our own box. If we want to show real progress, then the team needs to push higher up the pitch and spend longer spells on the front-foot.
That, however, comes with risk.
A higher line means the centre-backs will be exposed in open space. Carrick either has to trust the current pairing to defend transitions better, or introduce quicker defenders who allow the team to step up without constant fear of the counter.
If United do push up, the full-backs become crucial. They will provide the width and energy in advanced areas, but that also means leaving the centre-backs isolated at times. It’s a calculated gamble: more pressure on Fulham, but more space to defend if possession is lost.
The midfield balance is just as important.
Casemiro has been excellent in the last two games, but those matches suited him better due to a deeper, more conservative setup. In a more aggressive system he’ll be asked to cover far more ground, which is not his strength at this stage of his career.
Ideally, Carrick will want Mainoo higher up the pitch, where his freedom and composure can hurt Fulham. To compensate, Bruno Fernandes may need to drop deeper at times and form a temporary three-man midfield without possession, keeping the centre protected while still allowing attacking numbers ahead of it.
Then comes the biggest dilemma: the left side of the attack.
With Dorgu out, United lose a natural wide threat who was both direct and productive. Cunha is the obvious replacement on paper, but he isn’t a traditional winger. He’s far more dangerous drifting centrally, receiving to feet, turning defenders and driving through the middle rather than hugging the touchline and sprinting in behind.
One solution is to start him wide but encourage him to move inside, with Luke Shaw overlapping to provide the width. That would overload central areas, draw Fulham narrow, and let Shaw attack the space outside. It’s a pattern Carrick has used before and could revisit here, though it demands huge physical output from Shaw.
Another option is to keep Cunha central from the start.
He has already made an impact there off the bench, assisting in the derby and scoring the winner at Arsenal while operating as a false nine. Starting him in that role would allow Mbeumo to return to the right and open the door for Amad on the left.
That front four would be fluid and interchangeable, constantly rotating positions. Fulham could struggle to track runners and handovers, giving United an unpredictable edge.
There is also the more traditional route.
If Carrick wants to lean into crosses and territorial pressure, starting a dominant aerial striker like Šeško makes sense. He offers height, hold-up play and dangerous flick-ons, and he was in good scoring form before being left out. The Slovenian had 3 goals in his last two before Carrick took over as Interim.
Ultimately, the encouraging part is the variety of options.
Whether Carrick chooses fluid movement, inverted creators with overlapping full-backs, or a direct, cross-heavy approach with a target man, this game will show whether United can do more than just react to big opponents. It’s a chance to dictate, adapt, and prove they can control the kind of match that has so often tripped them up.
Predicted Lineup
Dorgu’s injury creates a genuine selection headache in attack.
The most straightforward replacement is Cunha, and that feels like the logical move. He offers technical quality and goal threat, even if he isn’t a natural touchline winger.
There is, however, a strong case for starting Šeško. Against Fulham’s big, old-school centre-backs, a physical focal point who can win aerial duels and attack crosses could be extremely useful, especially if United look to use their full-backs high and wide.
The complication is Mbeumo. He has thrived in the central, false-nine role, with 2 goals in his last two games and the best scoring return in the squad. Dropping him after that form would feel harsh and unnecessary.
That likely tips the balance towards keeping Mbeumo central, moving Cunha to the left to replace Dorgu, and using fluid movement rather than a fixed target man from the start. Šeško then becomes a powerful option to introduce if United need more presence in the box.
Elsewhere, the team should remain largely unchanged. The only real doubt is at centre-back. If Carrick wants to push the defensive line higher, he may have to consider adding more pace alongside or instead of Martínez and Maguire, who are more comfortable defending deeper than sprinting back towards their own goal.
Form
The win at Arsenal, coupled with Liverpool losing (🤣), lifted United into the top four for the first time this season! They’re also one of only a handful of sides to have won their last two matches, and the only team unbeaten in their last five.
Momentum is building.
Those 3 goals at the Emirates took United to 41 for the season, just one behind Arsenal and not far off City’s league-leading tally of 47. Add to that the fact that United have hit the woodwork more than anyone else, and there’s a fair argument that this attack is among the most dangerous in the division. To put the improvement into perspective, at this stage last year United had only 28 goals.
But the table is brutally tight.
Despite sitting 4th on 38 points, MUFC are only 5 points clear of 11th. Fulham themselves are just 4 points back in 7th, turning this into a genuine six-pointer rather than a routine home game. With other top-four hopefuls playing before United, kick-off could come with added pressure and a possible drop down the standings.
Home form has also been strangely underwhelming. Even after beating City at Old Trafford, United rank only 9th in the home table, behind the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth and even Fulham (albeit having played a game fewer than some). The raw numbers are decent rather than dominant: 20 points from eleven games, 20 scored and 13 conceded.
The encouraging part is resilience. United have lost just twice at home, one of the better defensive records in the league on their own patch. If they can turn draws into wins, Old Trafford quickly becomes a real advantage again.
History also leans their way in this fixture. Fulham have beaten United only once since 2009, which was a 2–1 win at Old Trafford in February 2024, while the most recent meeting between the sides ended 1–1.
All of it points to the same conclusion: form is good, progress is clear, but the margins are thin. One more win strengthens a top-four push; one slip drags them straight back into the pack.
Fulham
It’s slightly surprising to see Fulham sitting as high as 7th.
You always expect them to be competitive, but this season they’ve quietly put together a very solid campaign while much of the attention has gone to other overachievers. Ten wins, four draws and nine defeats has them in the final European spot, with perfectly balanced numbers of 32 scored and 32 conceded.
They haven’t got there by fluke either. Similarly to United, Fulham are very hard to beat having lost just once in their last eight games.
They’re comfortable on the ball, averaging just over 51% possession. If Marco Silva wants his side to have a decent share of possession at Old Trafford, that could actually play into United’s hands.
The Red Devils have looked at their most dangerous when countering into space. A Fulham side that pushes up and dominates the ball risks leaving gaps to be attacked quickly in transition.
From Fulham’s perspective, a smarter route might be the opposite: sit in, concede the ball and force their hosts to break them down. That has often been where United have struggled, and if Fulham can then spring forward on the break against what could be a relatively slow centre-back pairing, they become very dangerous.
Their away record is mixed rather than intimidating. They sit mid-table on the road with three wins, two draws and six defeats, a negative goal (-7) difference and only 11 goals scored away from home. If United keep things tight defensively, the numbers suggest Fulham can be contained.
Where they are particularly threatening is late in games. Fulham have one of the best records in the league for points gained after the 75th minute as they have a +6-points swing from these positions. A sign of fitness, belief and an ability to punish tiring opponents. Any lapse in concentration late on could be costly.
Individually, Harry Wilson has been a standout. 8 goals already, including a recent free-kick, puts him on course for his best top-flight return. Give him space around the edge of the box and he has the quality to make the difference.
Fulham won’t arrive as underdogs just hoping to hang on. They’re organised, confident and capable of hurting teams in different ways. If United don’t control the transitions and stay alert deep into the match, this becomes a far tougher test than the league table gap might suggest.
Prediction
I'm looking forward to this game. There is a lot riding on it.
It will be interesting to see how Carrick sets the team up and who he selects.
I believe we'll have more of the ball and will need to break Fulham down. Perhaps the manager may need to look to his bench once more for inspiration to help us get the win.
But in the end, with the momentum and confidence we've gathered, playing at home and the players' tails up, I do see a 3-1 United win incoming.
Tbh though, we've been in this position of positivity before only to be left disappointed. Need I mention Everton, West Ham, Wolves etc?
You can't rule anything out with this United side 🤷♂️.
What are your predictions when Carrick takes the wheel against Fulham?
Harry Maguire | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Old Trafford | Creator: Charlotte Tattersall | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2020 Getty Images via Stretty News
Harry Wilson | Image via Fulham official X (@FulhamFC)