With their crisis worsening by the week, a morale-depleted Manchester United team seek to make amends for a disastrous few days when they meet Fulham at Craven Cottage in Saturday's early Premier League kickoff.
The Red Devils' meagre EFL Cup defence ended with a 3-0 home loss to Newcastle United on Wednesday, while their hosts booked their spot in the quarter-finals by downing Ipswich Town 3-1.
Match preview
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Should the Tractor Boys of Ipswich Town continue to leave Championship foes battered and bruised in their wake, top-flight meetings with Fulham could be on the menu for 2024-25, but Marco Silva's men subjected their second-tier hosts to a harsh reality check in the EFL Cup.
For all of Ipswich's feats in the final third, the Tractor Boys have often forgotten to keep the back door closed, and Fulham took full advantage on Wednesday evening as Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz and Tom Cairney made the net bulge, and Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton will not want to watch the former or latter's goals back.
Elkan Baggott's 79th-minute header came too late to inspire a fightback, and a place in the semis will be up for grabs when Fulham square off with Everton next month, but regaining some much-needed top-flight consistency is now priority number one on Silva's Cottagers checklist.
Thanks to a Joao Palhinha drive an all-around domineering performance from the touch-tackling Portuguese, Fulham held Brighton & Hove Albion to a 1-1 draw in their last top-flight affair, denying the Seagulls their first-ever Premier League win against them but dropping to 14th place as a result.
Three wins, three draws and four losses in the Premier League so far can certainly be described as a mixed bag, and while two of those victories have come at Craven Cottage, newly-promoted sides Luton Town and Sheffield United were the victims.
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If the Old Trafford panic button had not already been pressed after a harrowing 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City, Red Devils chiefs' fingers may now be hovering dangerously above the red switch after Newcastle subjected the Red Devils to an identical pummelling in the EFL Cup.
Just over eight months on from falling to Man United's superiority at Wembley, Newcastle made a few more walls of the Old Trafford fortress crumble, as Miguel Almiron's opener, Lewis Hall's wonderful volley and an unstoppable Joe Willock run and finish saw the Red Devils meekly cede their grip on the crown.
Unwanted records had already been matched when the Citizens put three past Erik ten Hag's team without reply last weekend, and with Newcastle following in the treble winners' footsteps, Man United have lost back-to-back home games by at least three goals for the first time since 1962, which was also the most recent year when they suffered eight defeats from their opening 15 games of a campaign.
Ten Hag supposedly has enough credit in the bank to avoid being given his P45, but the Dutchman has recognised that his side's efforts have been nowhere near good enough, as the Red Devils languish in eighth place in the table, closer to the relegation zone than top spot points-wise.
A return to the road - where Man United have beaten Sheffield United and Burnley in back-to-back contests - should therefore be welcomed with open arms by the Man United faithful, who have not seen their side lose to Fulham since 2009, but the Cottagers will seemingly not get a better chance to break that 17-game curse.
Team News
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Over the past few weeks, there has been little movement in or indeed out of the Fulham medical bay, where Issa Diop (foot), Tosin Adarabioyo (groin), Adama Traore (thigh) and Kenny Tete (unspecified) remained on Wednesday evening.
However, Traore, Adarabioyo and Tete are working their way back to full fitness and might make the squad this weekend, and Silva's biggest selection dilemma lies in the number nine role after Muniz justified his manager's selection with a first goal of the season at Portman Road.
Silva has hinted that Muniz could now force his way in over Raul Jimenez, who remains without a goal since joining the Cottagers in the summer, while Bernd Leno, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson will all return to the rearguard.
When it rains it pours for Man United, who welcomed Casemiro back from an ankle issue in their defeat to Newcastle, but the ex-Real Madrid man was then withdrawn at half time with a new hamstring issue and will be sidelined for weeks.
Luke Shaw (muscle), Amad Diallo (knee), Jadon Sancho (disciplinary), Tyrell Malacia (knee) and Lisandro Martinez (foot) will not be involved for the visitors either, while Raphael Varane could not participate in the EFL Cup due to illness but should be given the green light to come back here. However, Victor Lindelof is now battling his own bug and is doubtful.
On a rare positive note, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was able to come off the bench against the Magpies following his thigh complaint and is one of several names pushing for inclusion from the off this weekend, where Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford should all come back into the XI.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Ream, Bassey, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Willian, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Reguilon; McTominay, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
We say: Fulham 1-2 Manchester United
Breaching the Ipswich backline was not a problem for Fulham, but the Tractor Boys have struggled for defensive solidity all season long, while Man United managed to hold out when under the cosh against Burnley and Sheffield United away from home.
Whether Muniz can solve the hosts' attacking conundrum in the long-term remains to be seen, but with several well-rested Man United players desperate to prove a point at Craven Cottage, we have faith in Ten Hag's men to get back on track and condemn the Cottagers to a fourth defeat in a row in this fixture.
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