A New Hope
I think this could be a good game for the neutral, as both sides will have points to prove. Most people will be looking to see what Manchester United can do. Since Alex Ferguson left in 2013, they’ve never been able to reach the heights of his great teams, and for the last few seasons those times seem like distant memories. However, towards the end of last season, there was a bit of optimism for Manchester United fans. They won the FA Cup and have bought in some new owners with the Ineos Group, who are looking to push things in a new direction for the club.
Another Dutch Raid
So far it’s been a mixed transfer window for The Red Devils, they’ve signed some good players in Josh Kirkzee and Matthjis De Ligt, but have had their hopes dampened with Leny Yoro, who will be injured for the next few months.
Wembley Revenge For City
Manchester United could have won the Charity Shield at Wembley last weekend, but they suffered an agonising loss on penalties to their local rivals Manchester City. On the other hand I think they will want to make amends for that and they’ve got a good opportunity to get off to a flyer in front of their fans.
Testing Times For The Cottages
Fulham are an interesting proposition this season. Since they got promoted, they’ve established themselves in the mid-table regions of the Premier League under Marco Silva. Despite this, I think this season could be their biggest test yet, as they lost Palhinha to Bayern Munich, who arguably was their most influential player. The Cottagers also don’t have a great record at Old Trafford, but they managed to win there for the first time in 21 years, back in February, so maybe then they can back it up again.
I can see goals in this game, but overall I think Manchester United will have too much for Fulham, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they got on the scoresheet. My prediction is that Manchester United will win the game, but both teams will score, which is currently 9/5 with Rhino.
Selection: Manchester United To Win And BTTS (9/5)
