Premier League: Burnley Next for Ralf’s Red Devils

Manchester United vs Burnley

Manchester United’s top-four push continues on Thursday night with a tasty fixture at home the Burnley, in what should be a white-hot atmosphere at Old Trafford.

Premier League: Manchester United vs Burnley brings together two teams with problems. The Red Devils have a new boss in Ralf Rangnick and seem to have stabilized at the back, but are struggling to create chances, while Burnley sit in the bottom three with a fixture backlog looming.

Both teams desperately need a result and, with two sets of passionate fans in full voice, we could be set for a banger of a battle at the Theatre of Dreams.

Talking Points

United must shake off a Christmas hangover

The Red Devils come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Newcastle where they were simply abject for the vast majority of the game and were, at times, outplayed by a side rooted in the relegation zone. Rangnick has certainly instilled a level of efficiency in his team, two 1-0 victories over Crystal Palace and Norwich City were hardly exciting, but they were professionally executed as neither the Canaries nor the Eagles came particularly close to breaching the Manchester defence.

But against the Magpies, Harry Maguire struggled to cope at centre back while his illustrious partner Raphael Varane looked well off the pace, and even after Allan Saint-Maximin had given Newcastle a shock lead the Red Devils still didn’t wake up. They seemed more content to moan at the referee and their teammates than roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. Rangnick will not allow his players to repeat that performance against a Burnley side that loves to get involved in a fight. Only substitute Edinson Cavani spared United’s blushes, with a scrappy second-half goal, and it would make sense to start with his experience, grit and world-class pedigree against the Clarets.

Cristiano Ronaldo is top-scoring with seven and he’s likely to feature too, while Rangnick will consider Mason Greenwood or Marcus Rashford to provide the pace which can stretch the Burnley defence.     

Will Burnley be rested or rusty?

Following last-minute cancellations against Watford, Aston Villa and Everton, the Clarets haven’t played since 12th December. But, as the bottom group of teams have failed to pick up meaningful points, Sean Dyche’s group hasn’t lost any ground. In fact, they are still ahead of Norwich City and Newcastle United with four games in hand. So if they have their customary uptick in form, in the deep mid-winter, then the Clarets could pull clear of danger.

At the time of writing, they are two points behind free-falling Watford with a game in hand and five behind Leeds with three. But games in hand mean nothing if points don’t appear on the board. The question is, will Burnley return fresh and ready for action or have they lost the match fitness that brought recent draws with West Ham and Chelsea? The one bit of good news for Clarets fans is that the lay-off has given talisman Maxwell Cornet a chance to recover from injury, so he might be unleashed against the Red Devils. His pace, trickery and brilliant shooting has brought him five spectacular goals in nine outings for the Clarets and he gives his side a much-needed sparkle.

History

The Manchester United vs Burnley betting odds suggest it will be a tough night for the Clarets, but they have been here before.

We have seen one home win, one draw and one away win in this fixture over the past three seasons. Last term the Red Devils won 3-1 thanks to two late goals courtesy of Mason Greenwood and Cavani, whereas in the 2019/20 campaign a Chris Wood strike and a Jay Rodriguez stunner plundered the points for Burnley. Two last gasp goals in the 2018/19 affair gave the Red Devils a 2-2 draw, so we are used to plenty of entertainment and drama in this fixture and recent Manchester United vs Burnley results do give the Clarets hope.

In terms of recent form, with one win, one defeat and four draws in the last six games Burnley have been showing the solidity and competitive edge they will need to survive; while the Red Devils have won three and drawn three and will be looking for more than a solid performance. Their fans will demand a more expansive and energetic show on Thursday night…

Betting Tip

	Manchester United vs Burnley	Burnley Asian Handicap +1.50 @ 1.85
	December 31, 04:15 (GMT+8)

…but will they get one?

United haven’t lost in the last seven games, while Burnley haven’t won in five, so I guess we should rule out an away win at SBOTOP odds of 9.25; equally 1.37 on a home victory seems a little tight given the uncertainty around both teams’ shape coming into this fixture. There’s some merit in a draw at odds of 4.40 but I’m going for a battling Burnley performance, which will avoid a heavy defeat but may just allow the Red Devils to earn another vital three points.

 

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