Fulham v Manchester United: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

Premier League,
Round 5

Fulham
FUL

20/09/2026
16:30

Manchester United
MUN

Craven Cottage

Peter Bankes

Preview for Fulham v Manchester United

Michael Carrick insists there is no sense of crisis at Manchester United after a woeful week in which they suffered two damaging home defeats.

United went down 1-0 to derby rivals Manchester City last Sunday, despite playing for the majority of the game with a man advantage following Phil Foden’s first-half dismissal.

And that was followed by a 3-2 defeat against Brighton in the EFL Cup. It was the first time since 1976 that United had lost after holding a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford.

Those results have inevitably cranked up the pressure on Carrick, who worked wonders last season to guide United into the Champions League after a chaotic spell under Ruben Amorim.

But the former England midfielder called for calm ahead of Sunday’s trip to Fulham.

He said: “We’ve got to put things in perspective, it’s not a catastrophe or a disaster, it’s not the end of the world. We’re not in a place where we have gone on an awful long run of horrific results.

“We’ve lost a couple of games recently. We feel we’ve started and been in all the games we’ve played, we’re not having a real struggle all the time. We’ve done a lot of good things, the belief comes from that. The good things we’ve done gets lost in the surrounding feeling but they don’t get lost by us.”

Carrick was quick to take responsibility for the recent downturn in results.

He added: “That’s why I’m here. It’s my responsibility, I’m fine with that. It’s not a blame game. We always search for things to look at and find the blame, sometimes it gets too much.

“Blame me, it’s no problem, I’ll take the responsibility, but it’s not about blaming people. It’s about finding solutions. It’s a whole collective thing. It’s about what you focus on really. I’m totally happy taking responsibility. No problem with that, it doesn’t bother me. I know where we want to go and we want to get there fast.”

Carrick was quick, however, to rubbish suggestions he needed to show more emotion.

“I need to show more emotion? In what way? What do you want me to show?” he bristled.

Carrick’s Fulham counterpart Alvaro Arbeloa is also under scrutiny with his side third from bottom in the Premier League, although they did get their first point last weekend with an impressive goalless draw at Liverpool.

The former Real Madrid boss said: “Every Premier League manager is under pressure, it’s the same for every manager and it’s not because [of] what comes from outside it’s because you have to be really demanding from yourself.

“All the managers, we want to win every weekend and for sure when you are a coach of a big team you are always under pressure but same for me because I need to win games. I think both teams will want to win the game on Sunday, so it’s going to be a good battle.”

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Team News for Fulham v Manchester United

Fulham will be without Kenny Tete as he goes through concussion protocols. Veteran midfielder Tom Cairney is not available.

Carlos Baleba could make his United debut, most likely from the bench, while Luke Shaw is fighting to be fit. Having made changes for the Brighton game, Carrick will recall his big-hitters, including captain Bruno Fernandes.

Matthijs de Ligt, Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte are still on the sidelines.

Expected line-ups for Fulham v Manchester United

Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Iwobi, Charles, Bobb, King; Garcia

Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Dorgu; Tielemans, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha, Sesko

Recent Form & Stats for Fulham v Manchester United

• Manchester United threw away a two-goal lead at home to Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek. It was the first time since 1976 that a Red Devils side had thrown away a two-goal advantage to lose at Old Trafford
• United have lost just once in their last 21 Premier League meetings with Fulham, going down 2-1 at Old Trafford in February 2024
• Fulham are winless in their last 10 Premier League home games against United (D2 L8) since winning back-to-back matches against them at Craven Cottage in 2009
• Fulham’s attack has been toothless in 2026. Fulham have failed to score in 10 Premier League matches in 2026, more than any other side

Where to Watch Fulham v Manchester United: TV and online streams

Kick-off is at 4.30pm BST on Sunday at Craven Cottage. The match is live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. You can stream it on the Sky Go app.

Global broadcast details can be found at premierleague.com.

Prediction for Fulham v Manchester United

There is unlikely to be too much in it but United possess more players that can produce moments of magic.

Expect Fernandes or Marcus Rashford to be the matchwinner.

Fulham

0 – 1

Manchester United

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