Manchester United travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday evening in a crucial fixture for Erik ten Hag, whose side sit 13th in the Premier League after only two victories from their first five games. The trip to Lancashire follows three consecutive defeats in all competitions and questions are being asked of the manager ahead of the 8 pm kick-off. Read on for Last Word on Football’s predictions for Burnley vs Manchester United and the best odds for the match.
Burnley vs Manchester United Predictions and Best Odds in Vital Premier League Clash
Watch: Manchester United in Crisis
Burnley’s Run of Form
It has been a difficult start to life back in the Premier League for Burnley under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany. They have suffered three defeats in their opening four league fixtures, conceding on average three goals per game. In fairness to their Belgian head coach, his side will have faced rejuvenated Tottenham, Manchester City and now Manchester United in their first five games but they desperately need a victory to ease early relegation fears.
Kompany has revamped the style of play from that which was associated with the Clarets when they were competing in England’s top flight under Sean Dyche. The current side is comfortable on the ball and will look to keep possession and make their opponents chase it down. However, after signing a host of players in the summer, the manager has yet to find a settled formation and starting line-up.
The jury is still out on whether the new signings will gel and make the team capable of effectively playing this style of football at the top of the football pyramid.
The side has displayed quality but has lacked the creativity needed to get results over the line. The likes of Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge are good midfield players but none have shown they can consistently thread passes through defences when Burnley holds on to possession. With Lyle Foster suspended, hopes lie on new signing Zeki Amdouni.
The 22-year-old Switzerland international opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last time out and has looked lively in his outings so far this season, also scoring the winner in the 1-0 Carabao Cup victory against the same opponent this season. The summer signing from FC Basel has five goals in seven caps for his country.
Manchester United’s Run of Form
There is very little that can be said about Manchester United and their recent form that has not already been well-documented and publicly ridiculed. The midweek defeat to Bayern Munich ended in a flattering 4-3 result but how the German champions played through them, like most sides this season, will have Ten Hag in desperate need of answers and, most of all, three points this weekend.
Rasmus Hojlund bagged his first goal for the club in Munich, which will undoubtedly boost his confidence, but he did appear to struggle to combine with his teammates in build-up play. He may have more of an opportunity as his team-mates should expect to find more openings this weekend.
Bruno Fernandes continues to work tirelessly but to little effect, while Casemiro may have silenced some of his doubters with a Champions League brace.
There are positives from the performance to take out of the defeat, but anything other than a victory this weekend will not suffice for Manchester United. Defensively, there are massive issues that need to be addressed, in particular, Lindelof and Martinez’s lack of chemistry.
The manager may decide to sacrifice any focus of sorting out any issues at the back for this game and put faith in his forward players to get the job done, as any manner of victory to take some of the pressure off his back after a poor start to the campaign.
Recent Head-to-Head
Manchester United are unbeaten in the last five meetings, picking up four wins with just a draw at Turf Moor in February 2022 preventing a clean sweep. Paul Pogba and Jay Rodriguez were on the scoresheet that day in a 1-1 draw with a certain Wout Weghorst lining up for the home side against his future employers.
Burnley were dispatched at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup fourth round last season on Manchester United’s route to glory in that competition. Christian Eriksen and Rashford were the goalscorers in that game.
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Burnley vs Manchester United Prediction
It has been difficult to predict a Manchester United victory in recent times, but they should have enough quality to take home all three points here. Kompany’s side will not let them have it all their way but there should be too much firepower from Hojlund and Rashford. Turf Moor will be rocking for this one under the lights, but they may have to wait another while to watch their side pick up three points.
