Berbatov: Fulham will be a tough task for United
United hero Dimitar Berbatov has warned the Reds not to underestimate Fulham and their Craven Cottage home, ahead of this weekend's important Premier League encounter.
Sunday's match is our final assignment before the 2022 World Cup, and Erik ten Hag and his squad will be desperate to finish on a high note, following a setback at Villa Park last weekend.
But Berbatov, who spent 18 months with the west London club between 2012 and 2014, says he's been impressed by what he's seen from the promoted club so far in 2022/23.
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And he warns that the Cottagers' home can be an awkward place for away teams to visit, especially if they arrive with expectations of a straightforward three points.
“From my time, I know that, if you're not careful, if you underestimate Craven Cottage and Fulham, you're going to have a problem,” said the Bulgarian legend.
“Fulham is a good club. At the moment, I think they have great players actually, and they're doing fine for the moment. I guess United are going to have a tough task on their hands, for sure.”
The 41-year-old, who is currently striving to become the president of the Bulgarian FA, has been struck by several of Fulham's players, including two familiar faces.
“Obviously, [Aleksandar] Mitrovic is the main guy who's scoring the goals,” noted our former no.9. “Willian, everyone knows that he's a major player in the Premier League. Bernd Leno in the goal, for sure.
“Andreas Pereira, we all know about him. Daniel James, as well, another ex-Red. So there is a quality in the team, and I'm not surprised, to be honest, that they're doing fine at the moment. But we all know the Premier League is a long journey, so they need to be careful.”
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Berbatov is particularly pleased to see Andreas thriving, after a few challenging years at United.
“Sometimes in the career of a player, obviously, you have moments where you don't play enough, [or] as much as you want,” he admitted.
“So then you need to look for a place where you go and you're going to play and you show that you have the quality; that you have what it takes to play regularly. I'm happy for him, that's why I mention him. I'm happy that he's playing and I hope that he continues the same way. That's why I say Daniel James as well – another ex-Red.
“I wish them luck. Because I don't want to see Fulham, with my history, again going down into the Championship. They need to stay in the Premier League, no matter what.”
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Despite all his caution, the Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa has given Berbatov confidence that United's attacking strength can see them over the line come 16:30 GMT on Sunday.
“I'd probably go for 2-1 to United,” explained Dimi. “Because, as I said, if I need to give a fair judgment, coming from last night's game against Villa, they scored two and we scored four.
“I don't want to see too many goals getting into the back of our net, so United needs to stay focused, stay concentrated. So even if they let one in, they should be able to get two back and to win the game.”
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And as for who Berbatov himself will be cheering on, when his two teams meet? We're pleased to say that the two-time Premier League winner is sticking with the Reds...
“That's a tricky question you're asking! Of course, my love for all the clubs that I played for in my career is still there. In this game, specifically, obviously I'd go for the Reds, because I spent the majority of my time there, won trophies and had a great time.
“But I don't want to see too many goals getting into the back of our net, so United needs to stay focused, stay concentrated. Even if they let one in, they should be able to get two back and to win the game.”
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