Fulham and Manchester United Battle for Calm at Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is once again filling up with early season nerves. Neither Fulham nor Manchester United got the start they dreamed of in this Premier League campaign, and that's why this Matchweek 5 clash carries more weight than its spot on the calendar might suggest. Nobody wants to fall behind this early in a league where clawing back ground later on is brutally hard.

The match is set for this Sunday, September 20, with kickoff at 10:30 a.m. (COL/PER/ECU) and 12:30 p.m. (ARG/UY/PAR), and fans in South America can catch it live on Disney+.

Names Worth Watching Closely

At Fulham, there's a name that sounds different since he arrived: Gonzalo Garcia, the Spanish forward who came over from Real Madrid and who now, under the orders of Alvaro Arbeloa, has the responsibility (and the opportunity) to show why he generated so much buzz. Alongside him, Alex Iwobi remains an awkward matchup for any opponent out wide, capable of breaking lines when the game gets congested.

On the other side, all eyes are on Matheus Cunha, the main attacking reference for a United side that needs its Brazilian to hit the level expected of him. Marcus Rashford also factors into the attacking equation, arriving with the confidence boost of a very solid season spent at Barcelona last year.

How Both Teams Arrive

Fulham isn't winning, but it isn't sinking either: the club played to a scoreless draw against Liverpool in the Premier League and, during the week, picked up a win over West Ham in the Carabao Cup that helps morale even if it doesn't count in the league table. Manchester United, on the other hand, arrives with its confidence more bruised: the club fell to Manchester City and was also knocked out of the domestic cup by Brighton. The contrast in mood heading into this matchup is obvious.

The recent head to head between the two sides leaves a spicy precedent. The last time they met, on February 1 of this year, United won 3-2 with goals from Matheus Cunha and Casemiro, plus an agonizing finish from Benjamin Sesko in the 90+4th minute that sealed the win at the death.

With that memory still fresh, Fulham will be looking for revenge on home turf, while United urgently needs a win to snap its run of poor results and reposition itself in the table before the gap to the top starts to really sting.