Manchester United will be eager to continue the excellent start to life under Michael Carrick when they host Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gameweek 24 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Sunday. The action on the day will start with three simultaneous games, including Manchester United vs Fulham at Old Trafford, with the match featuring two teams on an upward trajectory.
Manchester United finally turned a corner two weeks after sacking Ruben Amorim earlier this month. Darren Fletcher could not win either game he oversaw during his short tenure as the caretaker boss. However, Michael Carrick has seemingly had the Midas Touch, as the Red Devils have beaten Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches as the head coach. Those results have helped them rise to fourth in the Premier League standings.
On the other hand, Fulham’s recent form has also been impressive, and the Cottagers are in contention to secure European qualification for next season. The West London outfit endured a frustrating start to the 2025/26 season, as they won only three of their first 11 Premier League games. However, the Cottagers have lost just three matches since then, including only one of their last eight outings. That has helped them rise to seventh on the table.
The reverse fixture saw Fulham come from a goal down to hold Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, with Emile Smith Rowe scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Michael Carrick has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United head coach will be bereft of the services of two first-team players vs Fulham on Sunday.
Patrick Dorgu is the latest absentee after sustaining a hamstring injury that will keep him in the treatment room until March. The Danish international accompanies Matthijs de Ligt in the treatment room, with the Dutch defender recovering from a lower back injury. However, Joshua Zirkzee should be fit and available to take on Fulham this weekend.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Fulham on Sunday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro in the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Bryan Mbeumo will lead the line for Manchester United against Fulham this weekend, with Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha completing a fluid offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo
Fulham
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Marco Silva has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Fulham manager will be without only three first-team players on Sunday.
Winter arrival Oscar Bobb is not fit and ready to return, as he is recovering from a hamstring injury. The Norwegian winger accompanies Sasa Lukic and Rodrigo Muniz, with the duo also in the treatment room due to hamstring complaints. However, Kenny Tete (thigh) and Samuel Chukwueze are ready to return against Manchester United.
Bernd Leno is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Sunday. The backline will feature Timothy Castagne, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Ryan Sessegnon.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Sander Berge and Alex Iwobi in the double pivot. Emile Smith Rowe will reprise the no. 10 role, with Harry Wilson and Samuel Chukwueze being the two wide attackers. Finally, Raul Jimenez will spearhead the Fulham attack against Manchester United on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Jimenez
Key Stats
- Manchester United have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League games vs Fulham (W15 D4), going down 2-1 at Old Trafford in February 2024. However, following a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in August, the Cottagers are aiming to avoid defeat in both Premier League matches with Manchester United for the first time since 2003/04 (W1 D1).
- Manchester United have won both Premier League matches under Michael Carrick this term, and a win here would see Carrick (in his current spell) equal Ruben Amorim’s longest winning run in his 47-game tenure (three in October 2025). The Red Devils are unbeaten in six Premier League games (W3 D3) and have not had a longer unbeaten streak since a run of eight in January and February 2022 under Ralf Rangnick. It is the longest current ongoing unbeaten run of any side.
- Fulham have earned as many points in their last eight Premier League games (17 – W5 D2 L1) as they managed in their first 15 of the season before this run (W5 D2 L8). It is the most points the Cottagers have ever amassed over any run of eight matches within a single season in the competition. Meanwhile, only three of Fulham’s first 15 Premier League goals this season came via set pieces (20%). However, since the start of December, only two sides have netted more set-piece goals than the Cottagers (7), with that tally equating to 41% of their goals in that time (7/17).
- Including his first spell in 2021, Michael Carrick has won 10 points in four Premier League matches (W3 D1). Only four English managers have won 13 or more points in their first five games: Frank Clark in 1994 (13), Roy Hodgson in 1997 (13), Tim Sherwood in 2013/14 (13) and Craig Shakespeare in 2017 (15).
- Harry Wilson has been involved in ten goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances for Fulham (G6 A4). The former Liverpool winger has netted or assisted every 141 minutes for the Cottagers in 2025/26, the best ratio by a Welshman in a season (min. 1,000 minutes) since Aaron Ramsey in 2018/19 for Arsenal (goal/assist every 136 minutes).
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
While Harry Wilson, Oscar Bobb, and FPL captaincy candidate Bruno Fernandes were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bryan Mbeumo as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford.
The Cameroonian international has been excellent since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring in both games and playing his part in Manchester United’s resurgent run. Additionally, Mbeumo has been top-class since the start of the 2025/26 season.
During this period, only Mohamed Salah (55) and Erling Haaland (49) have had a hand in more Premier League goals than Mbeumo (G28 A8). Manchester United won just 20% of games while Mbeumo was at the Africa Cup of Nations (P5 W1 D3 L1), compared to 50% with the player in the starting XI (P18 W9 D5 L4). Expect him to be the go-to player for Michael Carrick in the final third this weekend.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Fulham
As iterated earlier, Sunday’s match at Old Trafford features two of the most in-form teams in the Premier League heading into Gameweek 24. The Red Devils have seemingly successfully moved on from Ruben Amorim, while Marco Silva continues to make his mark at Fulham.
However, with Bruno Fernandes back in his sanctuary of the no. 10 spot, the Manchester United captain should effortlessly pull the strings and earn his team another critical victory. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will also deliver the goods for the home side.
So, while Fulham will not go down without a fight, they may not have enough quality to take anything from Sunday’s clash. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Michael Carrick and his charges.
