Burnley vs. Man U
Venue: Turf Moor
Kick off: 4PM
Manchester United’s pursuit of Premier League leaders Manchester City will continue with a trip to Burnley this afternoon.
United has managed to cut the gap to 12 points, and they will be confident of overcoming a Burnley team that are without a win in their last seven matches in all competitions.
There is no doubting that Burnley are enjoying a terrific season, but head coach Sean Dyche will be concerned with his team’s form in recent weeks.
It is difficult to be too critical of a Burnley side that is seventh in the Premier League table after 23 matches.
They have won nine, drawn seven and lost seven in the top flight this season, and have rightly been praised for operating above their means throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
However, the Clarets are without a win in any competition since recording a 1-0 victory over Stoke City in the Premier League on December 12. Since then, they have lost four and drawn three of their seven fixtures.
It is only just over three weeks since Burnley picked up a point at Old Trafford, but they then failed to beat Huddersfield Town before losing to Liverpool and Crystal Palace in their next two in the top flight.
The late defeat against Liverpool on New Year’s Day would have been tough to take, and Dyche’s side were far from their best last weekend as they suffered a 1-0 loss at Palace. There are no alarm bells at this stage, but two of Burnley’s next three are against United and City.
Burnley’s brilliant season is even more incredible when considering that they have only scored eight times at Turf Moor in the Premier League this season. Only Swansea City have a worse record when it comes to scoring home league goals, but the Clarets have also only conceded eight on home soil.
Leicester City will have Burnley in their sights over the next few weeks, but Dyche’s side are still nine points clear of 11th-placed West Ham United, and finishing in the top half this season would be some achievement.
Fresh from a week-long training camp in Dubai, United recorded a 3-0 win over Stoke City at Old Trafford on Monday night. It was a result that allowed the Red Devils to close the gap on league leaders City to 12 points after Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a 4-3 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Three straight Premier League draws against Leicester, Burnley and Southampton over the festive period saw Jose Mourinho’s side concede ground on City, but United recorded a 2-0 victory at Everton on New Year’s Day before overcoming struggling Stoke in comfortable fashion last time out.
Fifteen wins, five draws and three defeats is how United have performed in the Premier League this season, and they sit three points clear of third-placed Liverpool entering this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Burnley possible XI: Pope, BaXIsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Cork, Defour, Gudmundsson, Hendrick, N’Koudou, Barnes.
Manchester United possible XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Young, Matic, Pogba, Martial, Lingard, Mata, Lukaku.