Burnley v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Burnley host Man Utd at Turf Moor on Tuesday night in the English Premier League. The Clarets have had consecutive goalless draws but still sit in last place albeit with two, or even three, matches in-hand on teams above them. Man Utd lost on penalties in the FA Cup to Middlesbrough but has won two league matches in a row.

Burnley Form

Sean Dyche’s team has had a disastrous season with just one win in 19 league matches. That win was at home against Brentford in October with a nine-match winless steak since then. After three successive draws (including 1-1 at Chelsea), Burnley has lost three and drawn two of their last five.

3-1 losses at Man Utd and Leeds were followed by a 0-0 draw at Arsenal. They limited the Gunners to 1.3 xG but only produced 0.4 xG of their own. Their most recent match was a 0-0 stalemate with relegation rivals Watford. Burnley had 13 shots at goal but just two on target.

Burnley Team News

Burnley has a few injuries to deal with ahead of this match. Striker Matej Vydra is out after surgery and Ashley Barnes wasn’t in the squad against Watford as he lacks match fitness. Sean Dyche will start Wout Weghorst upfront again with Jay Rodriguez on the bench.

Charlie Taylor is out at left-back whilst Johann Berg Gudmundsson has been ill and will be absent again. Josh Brownhill returns from suspension to give more options in the engine room. Max Cornet will be expected to support Weghorst with his pace and powerful shot.

Burnley Motivation

Dyche’s team won’t play an open game at all. Expect two blocks of four and one of the front two dropping off onto United’s deeper midfielders.

Burnley would certainly take a draw despite their perilous league position.

Man Utd Form

United lost their last match on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. Ralf Rangnick has overseen reasonably good performances in the league. His eight matches in that competition have seen just one defeat, a late 1-0 home loss to Wolves.

They beat Burnley 3-1 at home before that defeat. A poor 2-2 draw at Aston Villa came next having been 2-0 up after 76 minutes. They bounced back to beat Brentford 3-1 on the road and then scored in the dying seconds to beat West Ham 1-0.

Man Utd Team News

United are without Eric Bailly due to injury and Victor Lindelof remains a major doubt. Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani should return to the squad after being granted time off in recent days. Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes should both shake off knocks to start.

Fred will surely return to the XI with Paul Pogba possibly dropping down to the bench. Another option is going to a 4-2-2-2 shape with Pogba and Fernandes behind Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford.

Man Utd Motivation

United sit fourth, a point above West Ham with a game in hand. They will go all-out to win this match to keep their cushion in the race for Champions League football.

Rangnick’s side has been far from exciting since he took over but he has sorted out the defence to a degree.

Key Stats

Burnley have won just 1 of their 19 PL matches this season

Burnley have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 PL matches

Burnley have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 8 home matches vs Man Utd

Man Utd have lost just 2 of their last 37 away matches (PL)

Man Utd have kept 6 clean sheets in a row at Turf Moor

Man Utd have won their last 5 matches at Burnley

Verdict

This match has a 1-0 Man Utd win written all over it. Burnley doesn’t score many goals and is struggling this season – it’s hard to see them winning this match. United looks quite steady defensively under Rangnick.
Best Bet: Man Utd/draw double chance + under 3.5 goals at 1.66
Value Bet: Man Utd win to zero at 2.65
Correct Score Tip: Burnley 0-1 Man Utd at 6.50

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis