Manchester Uniteds 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton last week put the Red Devils top of the Premier League. That may not last as Chelsea have a game in hand against West Ham on Saturday, but Manchester will need to get all 3 points at home here to stay in the title race. Earlier this season, United lost to Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage, so Sir Alex will be out not just for a victory, but for revenge. Wayne Rooney is healthy again, and after scoring twice in their midweek Champions League match, expect him to be deadly. The Wednesday 4-0 defeat of AC Milan will have the team in high spirits as they have now made it to the final 8 of the Champions League. Sir Alex will be without Wes Brown, Michael Owen, John Oshea and Anderson. However, with just one loss in their past eleven matches, the final result seems to be a foregone conclusion.
United may have gotten a positive result from their midweek European matchup, but Fulham fell far behind with a 3-1 loss to Juventus. This came at the end of a good run of results and the Cottagers will no doubt be upset. They will remain positive though and the single defeat will not get to them too much as they have only lost once in ten matches. The memory of Decembers 3-0 thrashing of United will give the team inspiration, so dont expect a full on defensive strategy. Injury problems include Clint Dempsey, Andrew Johnson, John Pantsil and Kagisho Dikgacoi.
When it comes down to the wire at the end of the season, noone knows how to handle the pressure like Sir Alex and United. Though Fulham will try to pull inspiration from Decembers upset, they simply do not have the class to keep players like Wayne Rooney from reaching nylon.
Manchester United vs Fulham FC
Sunday March 14, 2010
Kickoff: 14:30 (CET)
Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)
Tip: Manchester United -1.5 (Asian Handicap)
Best Odds: 1.75 (Bet365)
