The Premier League continues on Sunday with Fulham hosting Manchester United at Craven Cottage in a late afternoon kick-off. Both sides began the campaign with mixed results, leaving questions to be answered in this second round of fixtures.
Fulham opened with a 1-1 draw at Brighton, Rodrigo Muniz scoring late to secure a point. Marco Silva’s side were second best for much of the game, generating 0.76 xG compared to Brighton’s 1.48, and making 27 clearances under pressure. Yet their resilience and ability to take chances late on was in keeping with last season’s profile. At Craven Cottage in 2024/25 they collected 26 points, ranking 11th in the home table, but it was their attacking consistency that stood out. Fulham failed to score in only four home games and posted a 74% both teams to score rate, the highest in the division.
Manchester United come into this after a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim’s side actually created more than their opponents, finishing with 22 shots and an xG of 1.52 compared to Arsenal’s 1.31, but wastefulness in front of goal proved costly. Last season United had the fifth-worst away record in the league, scoring just 21 goals on their travels and failing to score in seven of 19 away matches.
There is, however, optimism around the arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, while Marcus Rashford has departed on loan to Barcelona. These additions are designed to sharpen an attack that produced too little last year. Bruno Fernandes remains central to Amorim’s system, with Casemiro providing balance in midfield.
With Fulham rarely blanking at home and United creating plenty but struggling to convert, this match promises to be a fascinating contest of differing strengths at Craven Cottage.
How the bookies view it: Utd to win it with goals at both ends
Fulham are priced at 5/2 (28.6% implied probability), the draw at 13/5 (27.8%) and Manchester United at 6/5 (45.5%), with the goals markets showing over 2.5 at 17/20 (54.1%) and both teams to score at 4/6 (60%).
Head to Head: Utd strong record at the Cottage
Manchester United have a dominant head-to-head record over Fulham, winning sixteen, drawing one and losing just three of the last twenty meetings. Even more telling is their form at Craven Cottage, where Fulham have not beaten them in their last nine home games, recording eight defeats and one draw. While Marco Silva’s side have made recent contests more competitive, notably winning at Old Trafford in February 2024 and knocking United out of the FA Cup on penalties last season, history shows United have consistently had the upper hand in this fixture, especially away from home.
Players to watch: Cunha to fire Utd to victory
Matheus Cunha looks a strong candidate to get on the scoresheet when Manchester United visit Fulham. His Premier League record with Wolves last season underlines why. He scored 15 goals and added 6 assists in 33 appearances, outperforming his xG of 8.6 by a wide margin. He averaged more than three shots per game and 1.5 on target, showing a consistent ability to test goalkeepers. Importantly, he already has history against Fulham, scoring twice and assisting once in Wolves’ 4-1 win at Craven Cottage last November.
His United debut against Arsenal offered further encouragement. Despite the 1-0 defeat, Cunha produced four shots, three of them on target, and registered seven shot-creating actions. He looked sharp, carrying the ball well and getting into good positions. Fulham’s defence, meanwhile, remains vulnerable. They conceded 30 goals at home last season, kept only two clean sheets and opened this campaign by allowing Brighton 10 shots and 1.48 xG. With Cunha already looking comfortable in Amorim’s system, he is well placed to take advantage and find the net at Craven Cottage.
Predicted line-ups
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Bassey; Lukic, Berge; Wilson, Iwobi, King; Jimenez.
Manchester United (3-4-3): Bayındır; de Ligt, Shaw, Yoro; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Sesko, Cunha.
Anything else catch the eye?
The numbers strongly suggest that both teams to score and over 2.5 goals is the standout angle when Fulham meet Manchester United.
Fulham were one of the most reliable sides for goals last season, with 63% of home matches finishing over 2.5 and a league-high 74% landing both teams to score. They scored 27 times at Craven Cottage but conceded 30, producing a wide-open style where clean sheets were rare. They also averaged 8.53 shots inside the box per home game, showing a steady ability to create chances in dangerous areas, while allowing opponents 6.74 themselves. That attacking and defensive balance produced a combined xG average of 2.61 per home game, higher than the league norm.
United bring their own case for goals. Last weekend against Arsenal they registered 22 shots and 15 inside the penalty area, but only three on target. That highlights inefficiency but also attacking volume. They had 36 touches in the opposition box compared to Arsenal’s 20, and their xG of 1.52 was higher than the visitors’. Last season they also averaged 1.34 xG per away game, while conceding 1.28, showing they are rarely involved in low-event contests away from Old Trafford.
With new forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in the squad, United are expected to turn that volume into more consistent output. Fulham, meanwhile, are difficult to keep out at Craven Cottage, scoring in 15 of 19 home matches last year. Both sides showed in the opening round that they can create, but neither looked defensively watertight.
The combination of Fulham’s both teams to score trend and United’s attacking volume makes the case for goals strong, with both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals the logical play.
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