Fulham V Man Utd at Craven Cottage : LIVE

02 February 2013 17:53
Fulham V Man Utd - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Berbatov blow for Cottagers

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss the Barclays Premier League clash against former club Manchester United.

The Bulgarian pulled his hamstring in the 3-1 defeat of West Ham and will be out for up to 10 days for the Cottagers, who will also be without Steve Sidwell, Mahamadou Diarra (both knee), Kerim Frei (pelvis) and Kieran Richardson (calf).

AC Milan loanee Urby Emanuelson could make his debut, although fellow deadline-day signings Stanislav Manolev and Eyong Enoh are unavailable as they wait for their work permits.

Boss Martin Jol has declared himself pleased with Fulham's new acquisitions, despite a loan move for Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone falling through at the last minute.

"It was a tough month for a lot of clubs, but in the end I feel, although it was not easy, we were quite satisfied," Jol said.

"We had a few targets, a few positions we wanted to strengthen - on the left and defensive midfield - and in the end it came off so I was quite happy.

"My first choice target was probably Fernando Gago from Real Madrid because they wanted to get rid of him, but we couldn't get that sort of quality. But I had a few options and we went for a few players.

"Urby Emanuelson is a player I know well, comes from AC Milan and is no mug so I was quite happy to get him.

"I was talking to a player from my old club Spurs, Tom Huddlestone, but that didn't come off and Enoh was here already because you can't bet on one horse.

"Huddlestone was very close. They pulled out at the last moment so I was very happy Enoh was in the building and there was no damage done."

Sir Alex Ferguson is intending to make changes for Manchester United.

Rio Ferdinand is line for a recall and fellow defender Jonny Evans is back after a hamstring injury.

Ashley Young (knee) is still out as Ferguson's men look to open up a 10-point lead on Manchester City, who do not play until Sunday.

If Saturday's FA Cup victory over Fulham is any guide, United should encounter few problems at Craven Cottage.

Jol's men were swept aside last weekend with barely any resistance after falling behind to Ryan Giggs' early penalty.

However, the Cottagers are a different proposition on home soil and will approach their task with confidence following their own midweek victory over West Ham.

"Fulham's home record is very good and has been for a few years," Ferguson said. "They are one of the few clubs who get full houses every week.

"It's a healthily run club and you always get a good atmosphere, which is important. Hopefully we get the result we want because we are at the stage in the season where every game becomes important."

Source: DSG