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Man Utdvs.Burnley

sportsmole.co.uk, 25 April 2024, 16:14
Manchester United will be aiming to make it successive victories in the Premier League when they welcome relegation-threatened Burnley to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils returned to sixth spot in the table courtesy of a 4-2 success over basement side Sheffield United on Wednesday night, while 19th-placed Burnley were also last in action against the Blades, beating their fellow strugglers 4-1 at Bramall Lane last weekend.

Match preview

Man United twice trailed to Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with the Red Devils facing the prospect of another disastrous result in a season which has had more than a few, but they managed to bounce back on both occasions to ultimately record a 4-2 victory on home soil.

The win was their first in the Premier League since March 9, picking up just three points from their four league matches heading into the clash against Chris Wilder's side, but they did manage to book their spot in the FA Cup final courtesy of a chaotic penalty-shootout success over Coventry City last weekend.

Erik ten Hag has the chance to deliver another trophy this season following on from the EFL Cup triumph last term, but it has been a hugely disappointing league campaign, with the team currently sixth in the table, 13 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, albeit with a game in hand.

Man United have lost 12 of their 33 league fixtures this term and are facing the prospect of playing in the Conference League next season or missing out on Europe altogether.

The Red Devils will be aiming to make it successive league wins for the first time since the middle of February, and they will then take on Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion in their final four matches of the league season ahead of the final of the FA Cup against Manchester City.

Man United have won nine of their 16 league games at Old Trafford this season but have also been beaten five times, and they will be hosting a Burnley outfit that have performed better on their travels this term than at Turf Moor, claiming 13 of their 23 points on the road in 2023-24.

Burnley will enter this clash off the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 success over Sheffield United last weekend, with the Clarets putting in an excellent attacking performance against the Blades.

Vincent Kompany's side have now only lost one of their last seven league games, recording two wins in the process, and they are in with a fighting chance of staying in the division this season.

Burnley currently sit 19th in the table on 23 points, three points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who will welcome the champions Man City on Sunday afternoon.

The Clarets will tackle Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur in their next two fixtures after this one before the small matter of a home game against Forest to finish the campaign, and it is set to be a fascinating conclusion, with Luton Town also bidding to pull themselves out of trouble in the final stages of the season.

Burnley have only ever beaten Man United twice in the Premier League, but their last success over the 20-time English champions did come at Old Trafford, running out 2-0 winners in January 2020.

The Red Devils have won five and drawn one of their last six meetings, though, including a 1-0 victory at Turf Moor earlier this season, with Bruno Fernandes hitting the winner against Kompany's side.

Manchester United Premier League form:

W

D

L

D

D

W

Manchester United form (all competitions):

D

L

D

D

W

W

Burnley Premier League form:

W

D

D

L

D

W

Team News

Man United are hopeful that Mason Mount, who has missed the last two matches with an unspecified issue, will be back in the squad for this game, but the club still have severe injury problems.

Indeed, Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford and Willy Kambwala are all expected to miss out once again.

As a result, Casemiro should continue in the middle of the defence, with Scott McTominay potentially coming back into the midfield as a replacement for Christian Eriksen.

Amad Diallo replaced Antony in the early stages of the second period against Sheffield United, and the Ivorian could also be in line for a start, with Ten Hag potentially making two changes from the clash with the Blades.

As for Burnley, Aaron Ramsey, Jordan Beyer, Nathan Redmond, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Luca Koleosho remain unavailable for selection this weekend.

The Clarets did not pick up any fresh problems against Sheffield United last time out, though, so it could be a case of same again in terms of Kompany's starting XI.

Josh Brownhill and Johan Berg Gudmundsson both made positive impressions off the bench at Bramall Lane, but the pair are likely to remain on the bench for the first whistle.

On-loan Chelsea forward David Datro Fofana might also have to accept a spot among the substitutes, with Lyle Foster scoring in a strong performance last time out.

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Maguire, Dalot; Mainoo, McTominay; Amad, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Muric; Assignon, O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Vitinho, Cullen, Berge, Larsen; Foster, Odobert

We say: Manchester United 2-1 Burnley

This is a tough one to predict, as Burnley are not losing many at the moment, and the Clarets are fighting for their lives. It remains to be seen which Man United turn up for this game, but we are predicting a narrow success for the Red Devils, who have enough quality to see off Kompany's side this weekend.

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