There is one match left in the Premier League in 2021 after the other scheduled game on Thursday was cancelled. It comes from Old Trafford where Manchester United take on the lesser spotted in recent times Burnley.
This is a huge match for both teams. Manchester United can move level on points with fifth place in the league with a win here while Burnley can finally escape the bottom three should they leave Old Trafford with a win so there is plenty to play for.
Where to watch
The match is the final one in the Amazon Prime Video collection for this season. The build-up begins at 7.30pm with kick off at Old Trafford coming at 8.15pm.
Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick has taken seven points in three matches as Manchester United manager but I think it would be stretching the truth to suggest that performances have been convincing under him. They looked a lot better in his opening match against Crystal Palace but journeys to Norwich City and Newcastle United yielded very indifferent performances and four points from those two outings felt like something of a burglary. It provides a good platform to build from though.
While I’m sure the German would be wanting his side to score more goals than the three they have managed under him, he will probably be delighted with their improvement defensively, although having watched their matches he will know his team have relied on their goalkeeper a lot more than he would want. A sloppy performance on Monday night was fair enough given they hadn’t played for a while but there can be no excuses here.
Burnley
It has been so long since Burnley played a game of football you could be forgiven for forgetting they were in the league any longer. This will be their first game since the 0-0 draw with West Ham United some 18 days ago. This is the second break they have had during the season as they were one of the first teams to encounter Covid-19 issues and they will head to Old Trafford without a win in five matches and only one win in the 15 games they have played this term.
They have only lost six of those matches though with four of them coming in the first five games, so even in a stop-start campaign they are steadily improving. The task for them now is to turn draws into wins. They have drawn four of their last five matches and if just two of those were victories they would be out of the bottom three with a number of games in hand on those around them. Given they have been out of action for so long this is probably a free hit for Burnley with Sunday’s match at Leeds much more likely to define their season.
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Team News
Manchester United have a few selection issues heading into this match. Bruno Fernandes misses out through suspension while Victor Lindelof is still isolating after testing positive for Covid-19. Paul Pogba is definitely out and Scott McTominay could miss out too.
While I doubt Sean Dyche would have wanted such a lengthy period of inactivity for his side, it has given them time to potentially get Maxwel Cornet fit to feature. There will be no Ashley Barnes or Connor Roberts though.
Betting
Manchester United have got the results under Ralf Rangnick but there is more than an air of them flattering to deceive under him and this weird 4222 formation nonsense that they play might be right up Burnley’s street here given they are likely to arrive with a low block and two banks of four if not a flooded midfield five. There isn’t a huge amount of creativity in this United side at the best of times but Bruno Fernandes missing the game diminishes what imagination there is in this side so I’m leaning towards Burnley having a chance here.
They will certainly fancy their chances at getting at this United back four and then it is just whether David de Gea keeps them at bay. Burnley have only lost one of their last five visits to Old Trafford, which was last season when United scored twice in the final six minutes for a 3-1 win, so the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ isn’t a place they show fear at. The doubt over Burnley is the amount of time they have had since their last game but they don’t play the most technical game so I’m hoping they have enough about them to cover a 1.5 goal handicap where even a one goal defeat is enough for us.
Tips
Back Burnley (+1.5AH) to beat Man Utd for a 3/10 stake at 1.81 with William Hill
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