Manchester United claimed a pair of 1-0 Premier League victories over Fulham earlier in the season and are on the lookout for another victory over Marco Silva’s side in the cup
Alan Shearer expects Manchester United to lose to Fulham in their FA Cup fifth round tie to prolong the “tough situation” facing head coach Ruben Amorim.
Amorim got a welcome three points in midweek, with Harry Maguire scoring United’s winner against Ipswich Town in the Premier League. It has been a difficult few months for the boss, though, with the Red Devils looking unconvincing against Leicester in their last cup game before Maguire’s controversial winner.
Fulham ran United close in the same competition in 2023, taking the lead at Old Trafford before eventually going down to nine men and conceding three late goals. Marco Silva’s side won at the same ground last season, but suffered home and away defeats to the Red Devils in the league this term.
With big-hitters Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea already eliminated, both teams may consider this season’s FA Cup to present a great chance to win a trophy. Shearer expects another close contest – all five meetings since that 2023 cup tie have been decided by a single goal – but is backing the Londoners to prevail.
“This is a tough one to call,” Shearer wrote for Metro ahead of Sunday’s game. “I’ll be there at Old Trafford doing co-commentary live on the BBC.
“I watched the Man Utd game for the first-half against Ipswich and once again they were all over the place. This game is a tough one to call. It will be a long afternoon – I’m not impressed with Man United, they’re in a really tough situation at the moment, so I’m going to go for an away win.”
Shearer backed all the Premier League teams up against lower-division opposition to win this weekend, leaving Championship high-flyers Burnley as the lowest-ranked team left in the cup. When it came to the other all-Premier League ties, the 54-year-old tipped Bournemouth to beat Wolves, Nottingham Forest to beat Ipswich, and his former club Newcastle to overcome Brighton.
Will Fulham beat Manchester United? Have your say in the comments section
United will be without Patrick Dorgu for Sunday’s tie after the Danish international was sent off against Ipswich. Dorgu was handed a straight red card after a VAR check following a foul on Omari Hutchinson, and Amorim admitted the new signing will be missed during his ban.
“It is business as usual,” Amorim told reporters when asked about Dorgu’s suspension. “You don’t want a player sent off because it is really hard to play with 10 men and you lose a player for three games. Of course there is a lot of noise because this is Manchester United and everything is a big issue but for me it is a normal thing.
“He already knows. When you go inside the dressing room he already knows – he is talking to me without talking. I don’t need to say anything. He is frustrated and he is said but he is working and preparing for the next games. He is going to be a very important player for us.”
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