Fulham v Manchester United: Red Devils to move 10 points clear at the top

It looks like these two - Robin van Persie especially - are excited at the prospect of facing Fulham on Saturday

Fulham are out to gain quick compensation for their defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup last Saturday, but Mike Norman believes the Cottages will be left disappointed...

Fulham v Manchester United
Kick-off Saturday 17:30, live on ESPN

Just a week after Manchester United handed out a 4-1 thrashing to Fulham in the FA Cup the two sides meet again, this time in the Premier League and this time at Craven Cottage. But don't expect the outcome to be any different.

Sir Alex Ferguson has exactly the same squad of players now as he had before the January Transfer Window - even 15m capture Wilfried Zaha is back at Crystal Palace on loan - and few can blame the United boss for putting his faith in the same group of players that have taken the club seven points clear at the top of the table.

Fulham however did make some Deadline Day signings. Martin Jol has brought in Dutch international midfielder Urby Emanuelson, Bulgarian defender Stanislav Manolev, and Cameroonian defensive midfielder Eyong Enoh, all on loan.

All three of the Cottagers' new boys could play a part in the game against United, but one man who is unlikely to figure is ex-Red Devil Dimitar Berbatov after he pulled a hamstring in his side's 3-1 win over West Ham in midweek.

United's form leading up to the game is sold, Fulham's is patchy at best (just three league wins from their last 16 outings), and with Opta pointing out that Man Utd have won six and drawn one of their last seven meetings with the London club then it's easy to understand why the league leaders are strong favourites to collect another three points.

Match Odds

United took full advantage of Manchester City's failure to beat QPR on Tuesday night with an unimpressive 2-1 win over Southampton at Old Trafford 24 hours later. But we're getting to the business end of the season now, and unimpressive victories, especially when your main title rivals fail to win, are just as welcome as any other victory.

On that performance alone however some may view the 1.664/6 on offer for a United win a little on the skinny side - Fulham can be backed at 6.05/1 with the Draw at 4.3100/30.

But it's unlikely that United will play as poor again, and with five straight victories over Fulham, scoring 15 goals in the process, Ferguson's men will be extremely confident of extending their lead at the top of the table to 10 points.

United put four past the Cottagers just seven days ago in the cup, and with a stronger line-up expected for this encounter, and their ability to score goals away from home not in any doubt, then it's easy to envisage them scoring three or four again. An away win has to be the call.

Over/Under 3.5 Goals

Just because this fixture is at Craven Cottage and not at Old Trafford doesn't mean we shouldn't expect as many goals as we saw last weekend. United are by far the highest scoring side in the Premier League away from home, and the 27 goals that they have scored on their travels is just five short of the number of home league goals they've scored this season.

Throw in the fact that Fulham's home games have averaged over three goals per game this term, and that United have averaged three goals scored against Saturday's opponents in recent years, then it's a straightforward task to recommend Over 3.5 Goals at 2.68/5.

Other Markets

Slightly contradictory to the above, backing the No option in the Both teams to Score market at 2.3811/8 is certainly something to think about. With Nemanja Vidic back to full fitness, and Berbatov expected to miss the game, it's possible that United could win this in easy fashion without conceding a goal.

Preference however is to have a small wager on Any Unquoted in the Correct Score market at 6.05/1. I really do fancy some goals in this game so there's no need for me to concern myself debating whether the home side will score or not. If United score three or four as I expect them too then there'll be plenty of opportunity for me to lock in some profits on my recommended bets.

Recommended Bets

Best Bet: Back Over 3.5 Goals @ 2.68/5
Back Any Unquoted Correct Score @ 6.05/1
Back Man Utd to win @ 1.664/6