Manchester United host Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday, on the back of easing past Real Betis in the Europa League. Should Ten Hag’s men dispatch Fulham as expected, then a treble this season is far from impossible.
If you’re looking to put together a bet builder for the game, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve put together a plethora of stats below to help you land a winner on Saturday evening. Shots, goals, cards, it’s all there if you need it. Struggling to make the most of the stats? Then make sure to check out my Stats Pack Guide.
Lineups
It isn’t too difficult to guess a Man United starting line-up these days and Erik ten Hag tends to stick with his tried and trusted personnel.
With that said, there will be some changes. Casemiro is suspended after his recent send off against Southampton, so Scott McTominay will likely come into midfield to replace him. Diogo Dalot may replace Wan-Bissaka at right-back, and Facundo Pellistri could retain his spot after impressing on the right side of United’s attack.
Fulham will go with their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, and the front four could be the exact same that lined up against Arsenal. Mitrovic, Cordova-Reid, Solomon and Pereira. The only obvious change would be Palhinha coming back into the fold after a recent suspension.
Team Stats
Man United matches tend to involve a lot of shots and chances. 5.30 efforts on target from United’s 14.10 shots P/90 is a decent level of accuracy. They’re conceding 12.70 shots P/90 which must be a concern.
Ten Hag’s United have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League, the fifth worst in fact having picked up 58 yellows and two reds. They average 2.38 cards P/90 which is unusual for a side at the top end of the league.
What stands out straightaway is Fulham’s average of 2.44 cards P.90. They have the actual worst disciplinary record with 64 yellows and a red to their name already. A knockout tie between Man United and Fulham looks good on the cards front.
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Marcus Rashford is still leading the way on shots accuracy, but not by much which Antony sitting just behind him. Rashford is still in red-hot form though, he bagged against Betis during the week whilst having a total of four shots with two on target.
Antony is an underrated shout for shots if he gets the nod. He loves them. His shots come from an average of 20.7 yards out because he’s not shy on unleashing efforts from range and he regularly hits the target with them.
If you’re looking for shooting accuracy, then Manor Solomon is the man of the moment. He’s averaging 1.60 shots on target P/90 and he’s been impressive of late. Prior to the Arsenal defeat, he’d score in five successive Fulham matches.
If you’re looking for shots output, Mitrovic will be your man as he’s averaging a large 3.97 attempts at goal per 90 minutes.
Player Goals and Assists
Where would Man United be without the contribution from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes? It’s now 19 goals and nine assists between them in the Premier League. Rashford had a bit of a breather recently, but he looks to be back in form as he’s scored in two of his last three appearances.
Mitrovic is leading the way with 11 goals in 21 which is a fantastic return. It can be misleading though, as he began the season on fire and his form has since fallen from a cliff. The Serbian has gone nine appearances without scoring and that must be a huge concern.
Player Passing
Harry Maguire might be a player to look at if he starts successive matches. He sees a lot of the ball distributing it from the back, however he only played 43 passes against Betis despite playing 90 minutes and United having more of the possession.
Fred’s pass average is in the 50’s and he also underperformed against Betis in that metric with 33 passes on Thursday night in Spain. I’d be tempted to leave this market all together in Sunday’s FA Cup meeting.
Like most centre halves these days, those are often your best options for passes. It’s pairing Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo who are the obvious standouts, but remember they’re likely to see far fewer of the ball away from home at Old Trafford.
MANCHESTER UNITED Cards
As previously mentioned, Man United are among the most ill-disciplined sides in the Premier League so there’s plenty of options for a booking. Lisandro Martinez and Scott McTominay lead the way with six cards in 24 and six cards in 18 respectively. That’s one every three games for the Scotsman.
McTominay and Fred both average over two fouls P/90 so the holding midfield pair should be taken into consideration for any bet builders.
Andreas Pereira and Joao Palhinha draw three fouls P/90 between them and it stinks of an interesting midfield battle between them and McTominay/Fred. You can imagine several fouls being made in both directions.
Matchups to watch
Scott McTominay vs Andreas Pereira
Fred vs Joao Palhinha
L. Martinez vs Aleksandar Mitrovic
Fulham Cards
Joao Palhinha is an absolute dream for cards. The Portuguese brute in midfield has picked up a staggering 10 cards in 24 appearances and he’s averaging over a foul P/90. With that description made, it’s only fair that I voice that he’s an amazing player, alongside being a foul merchant.
Cordova-Reid, Mitrovic, and Pereira are all good options for cards and fouls from the front, and they can all leave in late challenges in the press.
We haven’t seen a great deal of Facundo Pellistri just yet, but he’s impressed in recent appearances and he’s looking like someone who’ll be really good at drawing fouls out of full-backs. The Grealish-type.
Fred and Fernandes should be in an intriguing battle with the likes of Palhinha, Pereira and co in the middle of the pitch for Fulham. Keep an eye on that one.
Matchups to watch
Antonee Robinson vs Facundo Pellistri
Joao Palhinha vs Bruno Fernandes
Kenny Tete vs Marcus Rashford
My Bet Builder Picks of the Pack
Struggling for inspiration on how to pick a bet builder from the stats pack data above? Why don’t I give you a little push, with some of my value picks of the pack.
Manchester United vs Fulham
19th March
kick off 16:30 Manchester United to win
Over 3.5 match cards Antonee Robinson 1+ fouls Joao Palhinha 1+ fouls
