Fulham vs Manchester United Betting Tips

Premiership champions elect Man Utd can go nine points clear at the top of the table by beating Fulham at Craven Cottage at lunchtime on Saturday. Following Fulham's 0-4 hammering at the hands of Spurs in the fifth round of the FA Cup in their latest match, the Red Devils will be looking to twist the knife, so the Cottagers' coach, Chris Coleman, will no doubt have been working on restoring confidence within his charges after what was a humiliating result in their own back yard. I don't, however, believe it's worth paying too much attention to that defeat, resounding though it was. Admittedly, Coleman fielded a strong side, but it was simply a bad day at the office for the south west London club. Indeed, Fulham had enjoyed a nine-game unbeaten run at home prior to that below-par showing, and it is worth noting that they've held United to a draw in three of their rivals' last five visits, and were far from disgraced in the other two fixtures in question, going down 2-3 in both times in thrilling matches. Craven Cottage isn't the easiest of venues to win at for any visiting side, as it's a tight pitch, of which the surface isn't especially good, and the crowd create a real atmosphere which adds to the task of Fulham's opposition. Of course Sir Alex Ferguson's men, whom enjoyed a victory in their midweek Champions League encounter with Lille in France, have more than enough experience to overcome these elements. But, mark my words, for all that United are firing on all cylinders this term, they will drop points before season close. This fixture may prove to be a case in point. Defensively, Fulham are pretty sound tactically. Sure, they often throw caution to the wind in their games and end up conceding plenty - as they did when stuffed 5-1 against United at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season - but Coleman is a good manager, pretty underrated in my opinion, and I've seen him mastermind some excellent performances from this side in the light of seemingly far superior opposition, particularly during their victory against Arsenal here in November, and against an in-form Newcastle outfit earlier this month. Man Utd are virtually at full strength in terms of their squad, and have had since Tuesday to recover from their European exertions. As such, Sir Alex won't be cornered into resting key players. The attacking options United boast are what have set them apart this season. But that's not to say that they haven't been strong at the back or in the centre of the park - they're rock-solid throughout. The arrival of Michael Carrick has had a very positive influence on the balance of the side, as his propensity to play deep has given Paul Scholes a licence to roam in behind the forward line. The football United are playing is that of the champagne variety, the key feature of which has incontrovertibly been the coming of age of Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo. With the exception of the occasional dive, he is looking like the finished article now, and in terms of goalscoring his record is phenomenal this season - he has netted 15 in 23 Premiership matches, making him the club's leading scorer ahead of Rooney (10) and Saha (8). Any chinks in the armour of Fulham's left back will be cruelly exposed on Saturday. However, as I have already mentioned, United will drop points. Don't get me wrong, I cannot envisage Fulham winning this game, but I can certainly see this ending all square, as the home side will be desperate to get back on track following the Spurs farce. If they do head onto the pitch with a spring back in their heels, then I am confident that they will get something from this encounter. Therefore, my advice is to take up bet365's generous offer of 10/3 about a draw in the match result market. Verdict - 2pts draw in the match result market @ 10/3 (bet365)