If the trends hold, then Manchester United should easily cruise past Fulham FC in the FA Cup 5th round on Sunday. After all, United have only just the one loss in their last 21 (W17D3) against the Craven Cottagers. Also, United, despite this season of turmoil, remain the holders of the FA Cup. And all three times that Fulham FC have faced the current holders, in this competition, they were eliminated.
But don’t pencil United into the quarterfinals just yet.
FA Cup 5th Round FYIs
Manchester United vs Fulham FC
Kickoff: Sun. March 2, 4:30pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Manchester United Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Fun Fact: United have won their last 14 fifth round ties in the FA Cup. The last elimination came in 2005-06, at the hands of arch-rival Liverpool.
Football is a very funny game, and the trend is your friend…only up until the moment that it isn’t. In terms of filling out the team sheet for United, well, it’s just pretty much whatever players you actually still have fit and available.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction vs Fulham FC (FA Cup 5th Round)
Andre Onana; Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt, Harry Maguire; Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen; Joshua Zirkzee, Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.