Soccer player-turned-pundit Chris Sutton has predicted Manchester United will stumble in its Premier League opener against Fulham on Friday night, August 16. Sutton has said he has not seen enough conviction from the Red Devils and backed them to settle for a 1-1 draw on Matchday 1.
Manchester United will welcome Fulham to Old Trafford for the first match of the 2024-25 Premier League calendar on Friday. Erik ten Hag’s men had a decent pre-season in the United States but they stumbled in the FA Community Clash against Manchester City on August 10. After a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, United lost 7-6 to City on penalties.
Chris Sutton Delivers Demoralizing Prediction for Manchester United
Ten Hag is hoping to see his team return to winning ways in the Premier League opener, but Sutton is not sure he will get his wish. Predicting the outcome of the game in his BBC column, Sutton wrote:
“The first weekend of the season is always tricky to predict for various reasons, and with Manchester United, I really don’t know what to expect. I am not going to give them a win just because they are Manchester United and have had some great teams in the past, put it that way.
“They won the FA Cup final with a good performance against Manchester City, but they finished eighth in the Premier League and their manager Erik ten Hag will be under pressure from the off. I remember their start to last season when they beat Wolves in their first game but were very unconvincing, and this time performances are really important for Ten Hag, as well as results.”
He continued:
“Fulham sold Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich in the summer, and the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Willian and Tim Ream have all left too. They had a pretty decent season last time out and, although their results did drop off in the last couple of months of the campaign, they won at Old Trafford in February.
“I can see them getting something this time, too. I can only base these predictions on what I see and I have not seen enough good performances from United under Ten Hag to have any confidence in them playing well. Ten Hag has made a few new signings but they will miss injured striker Rasmus Hojlund up front, and they need to show they can control this kind of game at home.”
Sutton’s Prediction: Man Utd 1-1 Fulham
Manchester United vs Fulham: Head-to-Head
Understandably, 20-time English top-flight winners Manchester United have a much superior head-to-head record against three-time second-tier winners Fulham. The two teams have locked horns 91 times over the years. United has won 56, Fulham 15, while 20 games have ended without a victor.
Fulham came out on top in their last outing against Man Utd. They beat the Mancunians 2-1 at Old Trafford in February.
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