Man Utd v Fulham Premier League Betting

Manchester United need a win on Sunday to get back to the top of the Premier League, after seeing Chelsea and Arsenal leap-frog above them with wins on Saturday. Fulham are not the easiest of opponents that Manchester United could face right now, as Fulham have beaten them in the previous two encounters, which includes a 3-0 hammering of the Red Devils earlier in the season. Fulham, who went through a bad run of form, have picked up their game again, and have gone the last five league games unbeaten. They have also been making progress through the Europa League, beating favourites Shaktar Donetsk, but suffered a heavy 3-1 defeat against Juventus in midweek.

That was in contrast to United’s European triumph on Wednesday, in which they demolished a slow and labouring AC Milan 4-0, to secure their passage through to the quarter finals of the Champions League. Alex Ferguson, who has pretty much not had a full strength squad all season, has got more injury problems on his hands. Wes Brown has broken his foot, Michael Owen is out of the picture for the season, and John O’Shea, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves are still missing from action. Ferguson does get England midfielder Michael Carrick back, after missing the Champions League game. All of the team changes has not stopped their progress towards the top of the league, and they have put immense pressure on title favourites Chelsea. With just about 8 games to go in the title race, the Premier League title can still go one of three ways.

United briefly occupied top spot, and a win would put them back on top by two points ahead of Chelsea, but with the London side still having a game in hand over them, and Arsenal. After winning the Carling Cup and beating AC Milan, sandwiched in between was a scrappy 1-0 win at relegation bound Wolves in their last Premier League outing. Fulham will present a much tougher proposition, as boss Roy Hodgson is winning plaudits with his style of management. Fulham like to play football the right way, and looked a strong side for most of the season, until suffering a dip in form. They are out of contention for a place in Europe, but will finish safely enough in mid-table, which will allow them to concentrate on trying to overcome Juventus in the Europa League. When they last met United, they put on one of the best performances of the season, outplaying the defending champions in all areas of the field. They now have the chance to do the unthinkable, as gain a double over United this season.

United have bigger ambitions of course, with the Premier League and Champions League still in their sights. They have Wayne Rooney, who just cannot stop scoring at the moment, and once again he will be the key figure in their title hopes. Rooney has hit 23 league goals this season, with no other player on double figures. That is the amount upon which they rely on the England striker, and his tally alone, nearly equates for all the total amount of away goals they have scored this season. A Rooney-less United would be a whole different level of opposition, and he is the one Fulham will have to successfully close out of the game again. The reverse side of that, is Bobby Zamora, who is enjoying his best season in the top flight. There have been calls to give him a chance for England, but his tally of 8 league goals pales into comparison alongside the likes of Rooney and Drogba, as the league’s top scorers. Fulham will have to overturn a run of five consecutive defeats at Old Trafford though, and with a poor away win record for the season, that could be a bridge too far.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Fulham 3, man Utd 0
Fulham 2, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 3, Fulham 0
Fulham 0, Man Utd 3
Man Utd 2, Fulham 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 11 For, 4 Against
Fulham: 6 For, 1 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Man Utd: W7, D2, L1
Fulham: W3, D2, L5

Win Percentage
Man Utd have an 85.7 win percentage at home
Fulham have a 7/1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Man Utd to win: 1/4 at Coral
Draw: 5/1 at Bet365
Fulham: 15/1 at Paddy Power

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Fulham have not had a great deal of success in terms of winning away from home, while Man Utd are pretty rampant at home. They will expect to this one, maybe not at so much of a canter, as Fulham are solid at the back, and with keeper Mark Schwartzer in fine form, it could be a game of patience for United. The Red Devils, well, Wayne Rooney is full of goals, and you could back them to overcome a deficit, but this is a pretty good price for added security:
Fulham +2 Asian Handicap: 4/6 at Paddy Power