Preview: Burnley vs. Manchester United
A Manchester City legend will aim to prolong the Manchester United misery on Saturday night, as Vincent Kompany’s Burnley welcome the Red Devils to Turf Moor in the Premier League.
The hosts took a point home from a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last time out, while Erik ten Hag’s men suffered a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in a Champions League extravaganza.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster cannot consign Monday’s stopover at the City Ground to history quickly enough, as after having a late strike disallowed for a contentious handball, the 23-year-old was given a straight red card for elbowing Ryan Yates seconds before the full-time whistle blew.
Prior to Foster’s nightmare moments, Burnley had drawn first blood against Forest thanks to a sweetly-struck Zeki Amdouni effort, but Tricky Trees new boy Callum Hudson-Odoi bettered the Clarets attacker’s opener with a sublime curling effort to rescue a point for the hosts.
In doing so, Steve Cooper’s men earned a small slice of revenge for their EFL Cup loss to Burnley in the second round, where Amdouni once again made the net ripple at the City Ground, and that 1-0 success still represents the Clarets’ only victory of the 2023-24 season so far.
Monday’s stalemate did at least see Burnley put their first Premier League point on the board at the fourth attempt, having previously been thumped by Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur in a trio of home matches, and they have climbed off the foot of the table for the time being.
Only a pointless Luton Town side have performed worse in the top flight than Kompany’s troops, though, and Burnley have now suffered defeat in their last five Premier League home games since April 2022, conceding at least two goals on each occasion.
Preview: Burnley vs. Man Utd – prediction, team news, lineups
A host of unwanted records were either matched or broken for Man United on Wednesday evening, as one of the Premier League’s current crisis clubs tried in vain to restore a sense of pride away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, despite scoring three goals at the Allianz Arena.
Casemiro’s brace and Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal for the club offered the Red Devils some hope of a magnificent turnaround, but Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and former transfer target Harry Kane had already breached Erik ten Hag’s backline before Casemiro notched his first for the evening.
The Brazilian responded again after Mathys Tel added number four for Bayern, but the final whistle blew almost immediately after he nodded in Bruno Fernandes’s free kick, as a disjointed and ravaged Man United side fell to their third successive defeat following a duo of 3-1 beatings at the hands of Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion.
As concerns off the field continue to rear their ugly heads, Man United’s on-field endeavours are also leaving a lot to be desired, and Ten Hag – who is allegedly at risk of losing the dressing room – implored his players to “look in the mirror” after producing another defensive disasterclass in Munich.
The Red Devils head into Saturday’s game as one of four Premier League teams without a point on the road so far this season – suffering defeat in four of their last five top-flight games on the road – but a five-game unbeaten run against Saturday’s hosts may provide a small sense of reassurance for the travelling faithful.
Burnley Premier League form:
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Burnley form (all competitions):
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Manchester United Premier League form:
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We say: Burnley 1-2 Manchester United
Burnley could arguably not be playing Man United at a better time on account of the Red Devils’ multiple crises, as injuries, defensive deficiencies and off-the-pitch scandals threaten to derail Ten Hag’s preparations once again.
The leaky Red Devils backline should not emerge unscathed, but on the other hand, Burnley have also been conceding goals at will on home soil, and Man United’s potent attacking forces can fight fire with fire to redeem themselves with a hard-fought away win.