Friday night's Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham takes place at the "Theatre of Dreams," marking the start of a new era in sports.
The 2024–25 season opens at Old Trafford, where United hopes to progress following a challenging year on and off the field.
With Fulham's arrival on Friday, Manchester United will start their league campaign at home for the tenth time in eleven seasons, setting a Premier League record for the most consecutive years. Erik ten Hag's team is under immediate pressure.
A glimmer of hope emerged from United's terrible campaign in both Europe and the top flight last season when they defeated Manchester City to win the FA Cup, only to have that victory wiped out in their opening match of the current campaign.
The Red Devils suffered a penalty-shootout loss in Saturday's FA Community Shield against their city rivals, almost losing out on additional hardware at Wembley after a 1-1 draw in the curtain-raiser.
Ten Hag has not only maintained his position despite a great deal of conjecture and shady actions by United's aspirational new owners, but he has also been joined by a few well-known players for the forthcoming season.
Not only is returning hero Ruud van Nistelrooy a dugout partner for his fellow Dutchman, but Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have recently joined to improve a defense that has been beset by injuries.
Although their dismal preseason performance—three losses out of five games, including a 3-0 setback to Liverpool in the USA—has raised some questions, the 20-time English champions are now focusing on their opening league game.
Last season, United lost six of their 19 Premier League home games; one of those losses came against Friday's opponents, who they had only lost three of their previous 33 encounters with.
Before winning 2-1 at Old Trafford in February, Fulham had lost 24 of those meetings. Now, they're hoping to beat Manchester United on the road in back-to-back games for the first time ever.
The Cottagers are currently rebuilding after losing long-serving defender Tim Ream, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Joao Palhinha in the summer, while United has been busy signing new players.
The 2023–24 season ended with Marco Silva's team in 13th place. The former Everton manager chose to remain in England rather than accept a lucrative contract with Al-Ahli, a Saudi Pro League team.
Usually strong at Craven Cottage but erratic away from home, his squad increased their number of victories from the first 16 games of the season by winning two of their final three away games and drawing the other.
Additionally, Silva is unbeaten in nine opening-day games, and Fulham has won three of its last four league encounters with Manchester United thanks to late goals; thus, history suggests that Friday's game will go well.
