Burnley vs Manchester United – Match Preview & Prediction

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Manchester United are getting back in action, four days after a huge disappointment in the FA Cup. The Red Devils exited from the only competition they had a realistic chance of fighting for silverware. And they did so against Middlesbrough, a Championship side, at Old Trafford, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes all in the starting lineup. But that disappointment is now in the past and Ralf Rangnick and his players must prove there is a lot more to them than just grinding out league wins against somewhat decent sides and then never really improving overall. Man United will host Burnley, a side they recently defeated at Old Trafford and a potential third consecutive win in the league would mean that has finally happened since early December. This team needs consistency in both their performances and results.

Team News

Burnley will be missing several players for this match. Sean Dyche will not be able to count on Matej Vydra, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Josh Brownhill. Charlie Taylor and Ashley Barnes could also miss out, further complicating things for the hosts.

Man United, on the other hand, will be without Eric Bailly due to his ankle problem, as well as Fred and Alex Telles, as they have both tested positive for coronavirus. Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani should return into the matchday squad, while Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho should not have any problems in getting past the problems they picked up against Middlesbrough last week.

Form Guide

Man United might not be coming into this match in great mood, but what could we say about Burnley? They have been without a win in any competition since 30 October, when they defeated Brentford at Turf Moor. Since then, they played 10 matches and yes, they did lose just four of them, but their inability to win is why they are at the bottom of the Premier League. Still, there are two positives for Burnley here. The first one is they managed to get two draws against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, both of them in London. The other one is that they have played two games less than their relegation rivals Watford and Newcastle and three less than Norwich. Just one win would put them above all three of those teams.

As for Man United, as soon as the fans started thinking results were getting just a little bit better, they played a really poor match. The Red Devils were unable to get past Championship’s Middlesbrough, losing last Friday in the FA Cup fourth round match after the penalty shoot-out. The good thing for Man United is that a win against Burnley would keep them in the top four and potentially grow their lead over rivales West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham.

 

Predicted Outcome

We predict Manchester United will beat Burnley 2-0. The hosts have not scored in their past two matches in the elague and they have not scored more than a goal in a single game since late November. Man United’s back four should not have too many problems this time around, while the forward line will have something to redeem themselves for, after the FA Cup exit.

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