The English Premier League season returns on Friday when Manchester United host Fulham at Outdated Trafford.
- WHO: Manchester United vs Fulham
- That: English Premier League opening match
- The place: Outdated Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
- When: 20:00 native time (19:00 GMT) on Friday, August 15
- Tips on how to observe: Al Jazeera Sport can have the total preview and textual content commentary of the sport.
Manchester United kick off the brand new Premier League season with a go to to Fulham on Friday, however there are as many questions surrounding the membership as there have been when the final marketing campaign ended.
These areas of doubt have been added to on Thursday when United supervisor Erik ten Hag revealed his aspect are “not prepared, however the league is beginning”.
The Dutchman, who noticed his aspect lose 3-0 to Liverpool of their remaining pre-season sport, added: “We will not conceal from it. We’ve to face it.”
The truth that it was guests Fulham who produced one of many greatest upsets of the Crimson Devils final season won’t be misplaced on ten Hag.
The west London membership gained 2-1 at Outdated Trafford in February after a disappointing dwelling aspect efficiency that noticed Fulham take the lead by means of Calvin Bassey. Harry Maguire levelled the scores with a minute left in regular time, giving United hope of an unlikely and undeserved victory, but it surely was the guests who took all three factors after Alex Iwobi determined the consequence 60 seconds after Maguire’s purpose.
That consequence marked the beginning of a 17-game shedding streak to finish the season throughout which United recorded simply six wins to associate with 5 losses.
A kind of wins was the FA Cup remaining victory in Could in opposition to rivals Manchester Metropolis, a sport that might effectively have saved ten Hag’s job. The Dutchman must wait till early July to be taught that the season overview, carried out by the brand new house owners of the membership’s soccer operations INEOS, had resulted in a contract extension. The size leaves questions over the extent to which the Jim Ratcliffe-owned group believes in ten Hag and can concentrate on early-season outcomes.
Fulham gained simply two of their final 9 Premier League video games on the finish of final season (struggling 4 defeats in that run) however completed a greater than respectable thirteenth.
It was their away document that noticed them fall from tenth place the earlier yr. That yr, solely 5 groups claimed Fulham’s seven league wins on the highway, and solely three groups conceded fewer than Fulham’s 24 on their travels. However final yr, life away from dwelling was a lot more durable.
Marco Silva’s aspect have solely managed 4 away wins, one in every of them at Outdated Trafford, and solely 5 groups have conceded extra targets than the 37 they’ve conceded at rival stadiums.
The lack of key defenders Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea and Tim Ream to Main League Soccer membership Charlotte FC won’t assist Silva, but it surely may very well be the departure of Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich that leaves the largest gap within the London aspect.
For United, the signing of defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich this week will ease defensive considerations and Joshua Zirkzee can be anticipated to be match after the Dutch striker joined from Bologna.
The largest increase Ten Hag may maybe have hoped for was the contract extension his captain Bruno Fernandes signed with the membership. The Portuguese midfielder has been United’s standout performer by means of many tough instances lately and no participant has captured the Crimson Devils’ fashion higher than the 29-year-old, whose new three-year deal was introduced on Wednesday.
Manchester United workforce information
Leny Yoro will likely be out for 3 months as a consequence of a foot damage sustained in pre-season in opposition to Arsenal. The 18-year-old defender was signed this summer time from Lille.
United can even be with out striker Rasmus Hojlund and defender Luke Shaw for the journey to Fulham.
Harry Maguire will endure a late health check after the centre-back suffered a knock within the Neighborhood Defend, that means new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui may very well be handed debuts.
Fulham workforce information
Fulham come into the season with a squad in high type to take to Outdated Trafford.
Report new signing Emile Smith Rowe, who joined from Arsenal, is predicted to make his aggressive debut for the Cottagers.
Head to head
This would be the 89th assembly between the 2 golf equipment. The primary assembly was in London in March 1908 for the FA Cup; just like the final assembly, the consequence was a 2-1 victory for Fulham.
United have gained 56 of these conferences to Fulham’s 14. Previous to final season’s win, Fulham had not overwhelmed United since a 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage in March 2009. United then went on a run of 15 wins in 18 video games.
