Fulham’s first home game of the Premier League season is a mouthwatering clash against Manchester United. The Red Devils have won on their last eight visits to Craven Cottage and seemed to do everything but score in their defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford last Sunday. Ruben Almorin’s reshaped front-line looks pretty frightening – especially if they have had another week to work together after failing to find net against the Gunners.

The Whites were one of only three clubs that United did the league double over last season – with memories of those two agonising defeats, at the hands of late strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martinez still feeling pretty sore. Marco Silva’s side did win a memorable FA Cup fourth round tie at the Theatre of Dreams on penalties in February, but the Fulham boss believes his compatriot’s outfit will be far more dangerous as a result of their summer spending. Talk about chalk and cheese – with the Cottagers only bringing in back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte.

Silva has savaged Fulham’s recruitment failures for two weeks in succession now and it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to uncover that the project he began in the Championship four years could be coming to an end. The Portuguese is passionate – just witness the way he celebrated Rodrigo Muniz’s equaliser in front of the fourth official last Saturday – and succinctly suggested that failing to make the summer signings he was promised means the first two fixtures of the season should have been written off. We all know that he’s worked miracles to make such a slender squad competitive. Fulham got more goals from their substitutes than any other top flight team last term- nineteen – and Muniz, who has scored nine off the bench himself since the start of last season, added another at the AMEX eight days ago.

Standing still is a recipe for disaster in the top flight. I’m not sure that the Khans are preparing the club for sale – as salacious internet rumours have suggested – but you could understand if they watched the pennies a little more carefully and waited for a return from their considerable investment. One has to hope that the Fulham board have learned their lesson from when they purchased the club from Mohamed Al-Fayed, failed to freshen up Martin Jol’s playing squad and watched as the Whites were relegated at the end of a season where they went through three managers. Former Fulham full back Stephen Kelly isn’t alone in describing the lack of ambition as ‘a strange situation’.

Silva could keep a similar eleven to the one that started on the south coast last Saturday. The big question will be whether either Ryan Sessegnon or Antonee Robinson are fit to feature. If not, the Fulham head coach could continue with Calvin Bassey at left back, as long as something is done about those shorts. Josh King seems set to start as the number ten again after his brilliant display against Brighton, whilst there is a clamour for Muniz to return to the starting line-up, especially as the Brazilian looks likely to commit his future to the club after Atalanta admitted defeat in their bid to lure the striker to Serie A.

You have to go back fifteen years for the last time Fulham even earned a Premier League point against the Red Devils. That was a wild afternoon by the banks of the Thames – with Brede Hangeland scoring an own goal and then equalising in the very last minute, after David Stockdale had saved a penalty from Nani. Some of that spirit would be lovely this afternoon – if a little less drama.

The previous December saw one of Fulham’s finest displays against United – as Bobby Zamora battered Sir Alex Ferguson’s makeshift defence, featuring Michael Carrick at centre back, only days after Roy Hodgson’s side had brilliantly beaten Basel in the snow to reach the knockout phase of the Europa League.

Hodgson certainly knew how to work the oracle against Ferguson. His side surprised everyone – especially after United had romped to victory in the FA Cup at the Cottage only a couple of weeks earlier – by winning in March 2009 thanks to a Danny Murphy penalty and that glorious Zoltan Gera bicycle kick on an afternoon where both Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney saw red.

PRE-MATCH READING

• Read our preview from yesterday.
• Silva’s embargoed quotes from Thursday’s press conference are arguably even more incendiary than what went before.
• The head coach’s pre-match interview with Sky Sports was pretty pointed.
• Charlie over at London’s Original has a terrific tactical breakdown of how the Whites can win.

PRE-GAME LISTENING

Do catch up with the thoughts of The Green Pole panel in the United preview episode of our podcast.

DON’T FORGET

• To download your digital season ticket – or matchday ticket – and allow time to beat the Cottage chaos this afternoon.
• Give your thoughts on how to improve the atmosphere at Craven Cottage.

JOIN THE STOP EXPLOITING LOYALTY PHOTO CALL

The Fulham Supporters’ Trust and the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust are holding a joint photo call in Bishop’s Park at 3.15pm in support of the Football Supporters Association’s ‘Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign’. If you are annoyed at modern football and how match going fans are taken for granted, do stop by the Tea House for five minutes to help display our displeasure.

Speaking of things that take five minutes, the Trust’s annual supporter survey has a day left to run. Fill it in if you haven’t already to give your views on what’s going on at the Cottage directly to Fulham Football Club and tell the Trust what they should be doing.

REMEMBERING IAN STERLING AND PADDY BARCLAY

Games against Manchester United always make us think of two friends of this website you will be watching from on high tonight. As Dan wrote when he sadly passed away, there really was only one Ian Sterling. If you don’t know the name, read this piece. I met him once before a match against Manchester United and nearly didn’t make it to the Cottage! The company was that good.

Ian was great mates with the peerless Paddy Barclay, a steadfast supporter of this site. In case you missed it, the FWA are honouring their former chairman, who became a Johnny Haynes Stand season ticket holder, at Craven Cottage in November. Come along if you can. It goes without saying we all miss both Ian and Paddy massively.

GIVE US YOUR PREDICTIONS IN THE COMMENTS

I’ve revived the matchday thread after being asked by some of international readers if they could have a place to comment on the day of a game. Do drop your predicted line-ups, scores and pessimism in the comments before kick off.

Enjoy the game.

COYW!