Manchester United will be hoping to repeat last season’s Emirates FA Cup triumph to salvage some silverware after their dismal league campaign, but face an in-form Fulham side in the fifth round at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon [16:30 GMT].
With United slumped in 14th place in the Premier League, the Emirates FA Cup, along with the UEFA Europa League, serves as Ruben Amorim’s best chance of providing a silver lining to what has been a turgid start to his managerial career in England.
Fulham, meanwhile, have an outside chance of securing European qualification in the league, but will also fancy their chances in the FA Cup given the open nature of this year’s campaign.
This fixture is a repeat of the fiery affair that took place two seasons ago, which saw United advance to the semi-final of the competition following a dramatic capitulation by Fulham. The West London side received three red cards in the space of a minute, including one for manager Marco Silva, allowing United to comfortably turnaround a 1-0 deficit in the closing stages of the game.
With so much on the line, it’ll be a case of repeat or revenge at Old Trafford.
The Stats
Despite United’s league form leaving a lot to be desired, they have defeated Fulham twice in this season’s campaign. On the opening night of the Premier League, United scored a late winner thanks to a debut goal from Joshua Zirkzee, and the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in January saw a similar story unfold, as Lisandro Martínez netted a 78th minute goal to secure all three points for Amorim’s side.
In fact, United have lost just once against Fulham in the last 21 meetings in all competitions. Crucially though, that defeat came last season at Old Trafford, when Alex Iwobi scored in the 97th minute in an historic win for The Cottagers.
With three victories in their last five Premier League matches, Marco Silva’s side have enjoyed an upturn in form that has kept them in the hunt for European qualification. They defeated Wolves last time out to secure a fourth consecutive away win in all competitions, which includes their fourth-round FA Cup success against Wigan Athletic.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor United, this will be the third Premier League opponent they have faced in the FA Cup this season. In a fiercely contested third-round tie, they overcame Arsenal on penalties, while a Harry Maguire winner in the 93rd minute against Leicester saw them through in the fourth-round.
Both sides have contrasting success in this competition. Fulham have only reached the FA Cup final once in their history, which was in 1975 when they lost to West Ham. United, on the other hand, are the competition’s second most successful side behind Arsenal. They have won it on an incredible 13 occasions, including last season’s shock victory against rivals Manchester City.
Team News
Manchester United’s poor form has not been helped by their extensive injury list. Lisandro Martínez and Amad Diallo are ruled out for the rest of the season, while the like of Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount remain sidelined with muscle injuries.
To make matters worse, Partick Dorgu compounded United’s availability issues after he received a straight red for a dangerous tackle on Omari Hutchinson in United’s midweek victory against Ipswich Town. He will now serve a three match ban and is expected to be replaced in the lineup by Noussair Mazraoui.
Fulham also have their fair share of injury problems, particularly in their forward line. Harry Wilson (foot injury) and Reiss Nelson (hamstring injury) are both ruled out for Sunday’s cup tie, and Marco Silva revealed his uncertainty over Emile Smith Rowe’s availability following an ankle injury that he picked up in Fulham’s defeat to Crystal Palace last week.
With a quarter-final position at stake, both sides are expected to field their strongest possible sides. Players to watch include Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Fulham’s Andreas Pereira.
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter going a man down in that game against Ipswich, Garnacho was sacrificed by Amorim to bring on a more defensive-minded player in Mazraoui, and expressed his disappointment by walking straight down the tunnel and posting a picture of him doing so on his Instagram account after the match. Amorim has since stated that Garnacho will pay for a team dinner as way of apology, highlighting a potentially rocky relationship between the Argentine international and his new manager.
On Wednesday evening, all three of United’s goals came via set-pieces. While it is an important aspect of the game, United will have to reignite their attack to pose a more sustainable threat. Garnacho’s speed, agility and directness combined with his technical quality can certainly help Amorim’s side going forward if he has the attitude and mentality to do so.
As a result of Smith Rowe’s injury, Pereira came in against Wolves as his replacement. He picked up an assist, proving that he has a starting role to play in Marco Silva’s side. An added motivation will be that he is returning to the club where he began his senior footballing career.
TV Guide
The game will be covered by BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with coverage beginning at 16:00 GMT ahead of kickoff at 16:30 GMT on Sunday 2nd March.
FromTheSpot Prediction
We predict a cagey affair at Old Trafford, but expect the home side to edge past Fulham in a 2-1 victory.
If history is anything to go by, United should ease past Fulham, especially considering they are playing at home. However recent matches suggest Fulham will have chances, and it is a question of whether they can take them to punish a struggling Manchester United side.
Given that, United have still beaten Fulham on both occasions this season, proving that even at their lowest they can pull something out of the bag. Additionally, The Red Devils have successfully advanced from each of their last 14 FA Cup fifth-round ties and have reached the quarter finals of the competition nine times in the past 10 campaigns.