Manchester United to Face Fulham in Unfamiliar Sunday Evening Kick-off
Manchester United will face Fulham in an unusual Sunday evening kick-off at Craven Cottage, with both teams experiencing contrasting seasons and players uncertain for the match.
Manchester United and Fulham are set to meet at Craven Cottage on Sunday, with the match kicking off at 7pm. This timing is not typical for Premier League fans, as by this time, the other 18 teams in the league will have already completed their weekend fixtures.
The clubs previously faced each other in the opening week of the season, where United secured a late victory with Joshua Zirkzee scoring on his Premier League debut.
However, the fortunes of both teams have since diverged. Fulham has spent most of the season in the top half and is currently in 10th place, while Manchester United finds itself languishing in 13th following a challenging season that included the sacking of manager Erik ten Hag in October.
The unusual kick-off time has been arranged for television broadcasting by TNT Sports, which could not utilise their traditional 12.30pm Saturday slot due to United’s Europa League commitment on Thursday evening. Sky Sports is also scheduled to broadcast matches at 2pm and 4.30pm on Sunday, ruling out those options.
A 12pm Sunday kick-off was considered but was dismissed as being too close to the end of United's match against Rangers.
If the match had not been selected for TV coverage, it would likely have taken place at the typical Sunday 2pm slot, similar to the non-televised match between Tottenham and Leicester.
Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim expressed uncertainty regarding the availability of defenders Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt. Neither player completed the match against Rangers, and Yoro is reportedly experiencing fatigue.
Fulham will be without Kenny Tete and Reiss Nelson for the encounter, although Nelson is nearing a return. Sander Berge, who had been linked to Manchester United previously, returned from injury for Fulham’s last league match.
