FULHAM
14th in Premiership
with 32 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 28:
Highest 11th - Lowest 15th
- FULHAM face the daunting prospect of halting Manchester United's relentless push towards a ninth Premiership title, and first in four seasons. Chris Coleman's side have won only one of their last nine top flight engagements, but are unbeaten in six at their Thames-side home.
- That the Cottagers are not higher than 14th in the table is due in part to the fact that 11 of their 27 League games have finished all square. They are the joint draw specialists with Aston Villa in the top tier, and in United, face a side who have recorded the fewest draws in the top table - three. If this Saturday lunchtime kick-off finishes all square, it will be United's 200th stalemate in top flight football under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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The Cottagers have only gained three points out of 15 in home Premiership games against Manchester United, all from 1-1 draws. The Londoners have not enjoyed a home League win over the Red Devils for 43 years. They last beat United on their own territory by 2-1 on 5 September 1964.
- Lost the last two in League and Cup, and won one of four.
- Drawn six of the last nine Premiership games.
- The 2-1 home victory over Newcastle on 3 February, is the only maximum in nine League fixtures.
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FULHAM
1st in Premiership
with 66 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 28:
Highest 1st - Lowest 1st
- MANCHESTER UNITED return to the bread and butter of the League after the diversion of an FA Cup home draw with Reading, and drama of the Champions League victory over Lille in France on Tuesday night. They're chasing a fourth successive Premiership victory after winning the last three 4-0, 4-0 and 2-0, and know that maximum points will increase their lead over second placed Chelsea to nine points, as the Londoners are otherwise engaged on Carling Cup business this weekend.
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United have the strongest attack and the tightest defence in the highest League. They've won three times as many League games as Fulham, bagged more than twice as many points, and are still setting a club record pace in the Premiership era. However 66 points from 27 outings is still three points short of Chelsea's tally at this same stage last season.
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Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo played together for the first time since the World Cup when United turned on a scintillating display against Fulham in the reverse fixture in August, and got the season off to a winning start with a 5-1 rout of the Londoners. They're now vying to beat Fulham for a fifth successive time in the Premiership.
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- Kept one clean sheet in eight Premiership matches.
- Won 50 and lost 60 of 146 League matches under Chris Coleman.
- The next League goal conceded will be the club's 300th shipped in the Premier League.
- Completed 39 top tier matches, since winning by more than a single goal (6-1, home to West Brom on 11 February). It's the longest such current run in the Premiership.
- The current tally of 32 points after 27 matches equals last season's performance, when they also had 32 points after the first 28 matches
- Won three and drawn three of the last six Premiership games at Craven Cottage, since losing 0-1 to Reading on 25 November - their only reverse in eight home League encounters
- This is the first of two home fixtures. Aston Villa visit the Cottage next Saturday, then there's a trip to Wigan and home clash with Portsmouth
- Brian McBRIDE is Fulham's leading scorer, with 11 goals - eight in the Premiership.
- Only Liam ROSENIOR has been on the field for every minute of every one of Fulham's Premiership matches this season.
- If they play, Carlos BOCANEGRA and Collins JOHN will be making their 100th appearances for Fulham.
- Mark PEMBRIDGE needs one more appearance to total 400 in his English League career (Luton, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and Fulham).
- Suspended: Vincenzo MONTELLA
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LAST CORRESPONDING LEAGUE (Premiership) FIXTURE
Craven Cottage on 1 Oct 2005
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John 2
Claus Jensen 28 |
van Nistelrooy pen 17
Rooney 18
van Nistelrooy 45 |
Crossley, Volz, Bocanegra, Goma, Niclas Jensen, Malbranque, Claus Jensen, Diop, Boa Morte, McBride (Helguson, 72 ), John (Radzinski, 77)
Subs not used: Elrich, Leacock, Warner |
Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Richardson (Bardsley, 57 ), Fletcher, Smith, Giggs (Ronaldo, 77 ), Rooney, van Nistelrooy (Scholes, 84 ), Park
Subs not used Howard, Pique |
Yellow card:
Boa Morte, Diop |
Yellow card:
Fletcher |
Attendance:
21862 |
Referee:
H Webb (S. Yorkshire) |
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| HEAD TO HEAD at FULHAM |
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FULHAM |
Draw |
MAN UTD |
| League |
8 |
10 |
8 |
| Premier |
0 |
3 |
2 |
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- Hoping to add the scalp of Fulham to those of Watford (h), Spurs (a) and Charlton (h) gained in the last three Premiership outings, since their only defeat in nine League engagements (2-1, away to Arsenal on 21 January).
- Not conceded in 270 minutes (four and a half hours), since Robin Van Persie's 90th minute winner for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.
- Won more Premiership matches than any other club this season (21), and dropped fewer points than anyone else (15).
- Lost three top flight matches, opened the scoring in 21 and failed to score in two. Only Chelsea match United in all these three categories.
- Own the strongest attack in the highest League, having scored 63 goals in 27 outings (that's one every 39 minutes on average).
- Conceded fewer goals than any other club in the uppermost echelon (18), at one every 135 minutes (two hours 15 minutes) on average. One of two clubs in the highest League with a 100% record from matches in which clean sheets have been kept. Won all 12 in which block-outs have been achieved - Arsenal have won all of their 10.
- Boast the highest number of different scorers in the top League (15).
- Premiership matches involving United have generated more goals than any other club (81; 63 for, 18 against).
- Failed to score in only one away League game this season (the 1-0 defeat at West Ham on 17 December).
- Another lunchtime fixture, away to Liverpool next Saturday follows Tuesday's FA Cup fifth round replay at Reading. Thereafter, the home tie with Lille in the Champions League, and a Premiership home game against Bolton are scheduled.
- Cristiano RONALDO is United's top scorer with 15 goals. They're all in the Premiership, which leaves the Portugal World Cup star two behind Chelsea's Didier Drogba at the head of the race for the Barclays Golden Boot.
- RONALDO has scored four goals in three starts and one substitute appearance against Fulham.
- Ryan GIGGS is a hat-trick short of 100 League goals.
- Wayne ROONEY is a brace shy of 50 goals for the Red Devils.
- If he participates, J-Sung PARK will be playing on the eve of his 26th birthday.
- If he gets a run out, Ole Gunnar SOLSKJAER will be playing two days before turning 34.
- Louis SAHA and Edwin VAN DER SAR are both ex-Fulham players. The former made 117 League appearances and scored 53 goals for the Cottagers between June 2000 and his £12.8 million pound move to Old Trafford in January 2004. The latter, kept goal on 127 occasions in the Premiership for the Cottagers in four seasons, from August 2001.
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| HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS |
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FULHAM |
Draw |
MAN UTD |
| League |
10 |
13 |
30 |
| Premier |
1 |
3 |
7 |
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