English Premier
2026-01-07 - Burnley vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Wednesday 7th January 2025 - Kick Off 8:15pm
This game is live on TV
Burnley
The January transfer window is open and Scott Parker will be hoping the Burnley board are willing to spend some money to bolster his options in the injury-hit squad. A couple of poor defeats have prevented Burnley from getting closer to the positions outside of the relegation zone and plenty of fans will be keeping a keen eye on the fixture being played at the London Stadium on Tuesday evening.
For the manager and the players, the focus has to be on putting the wins on the board themselves with Burnley in 19th place in the Premier League table and 6 points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th. That gap could be bigger by the time this fixture kicks off at Turf Moor on Wednesday evening and Burnley have a 2-2-6 record here in the top flight.
Burnley have failed to win any of 11 Premier League games and the consecutive draws with Bournemouth and Everton have been followed by back to back losses to Newcastle United and Brighton. The home defeat to Newcastle United means Burnley have lost 5 of the last 6 Premier League games played here.
A host of players will be missing, but Maxime Esteve is hoping to shake off a knock. Lyle Foster has been playing at the African Cup of Nations, but South Africa have been eliminated and he could be involved.
Manchester United
Two press conferences either side of the fixture at Elland Road suggested all was not well at Old Trafford, but no one could have expected the Manchester United board to act as quickly and decisively as they did on Monday morning... Just like that, the Ruben Amorim era is over!
The manager has failed to really convince in charge of Manchester United, and a public falling out with those in upper management made Amorim's departure inevitable, although no one would have expected it to be this soon. The side are 6th in the Premier League table and Manchester United are on course to challenge for a return to the Champions League and it will be Darren Fletcher who takes charge for this fixture.
Manchester United have won just 3 of the last 11 Premier League games and that had already made some nervous that the team would not achieve what many believe they can. The away form has been more consistent of late with Manchester United having lost 1 of the last 7 away League games and winning at Crystal Palace and Wolves before the defeat at Villa Park and draw at Leeds United.
Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount are close to returns. Before his sudden departure, Ruben Amorim had suggested Fernandes and Mount were closest to returns.
Head to Head
Manchester United deservedly beat Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford in August, but needed an injury time Penalty to do so.
Burnley have lost 6 of the last 7 when hosting Manchester United and will be doing so for the first time since September 2024.
Prediction
Being in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the world will always bring extra scrutiny, but Ruben Amorim struggled to do the most important thing and that is lead his team to consistent wins.
Over the last several weeks, Manchester United fans will certainly feel that some of the decisions made by Amorim have contributed to a slump in overall form, although injuries and international call-ups have not helped.
Ruben Amorim would have been given time to get things back on track, but a bust up with the Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, was only going to end with one winner- if Amorim had produced stronger results, his arguments would have carried more weight, but he hadn't and the board decided that the manager had to go.
Darren Fletcher will take charge on Wednesday before an expected caretaker manager is named as Manchester United prepare to hire another new man in charge in the summer.
All of this distraction could have an affect on the performance on Wednesday, but that does not necessarily mean a bad one.
The likes of Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes could be available to bolster the bench, while the Manchester United squad continues to look most suited to a four at the back system, which is almost certainly going to be used by Darren Fletcher. This could give Manchester United a stronger threat in the final third and they should benefit from facing an out of sorts Burnley team.
Recently Manchester United have failed to take advantage of fixtures against the likes of West Ham United and Wolves, but both have been at Old Trafford and the side have played with a bit more freedom away from home.
They travel to Turf Moor where they have a very good recent record and Manchester United have only lost 1 of the last 4 away Premier League games while winning at Selhurst Park and Molineux in that time. Manchester United have also offered much more going forward and the system change should suit the players that are available for selection.
Scott Parker and the Burnley squad have to be focusing on themselves and not concerning themselves with going-ons at Old Trafford, but the squad have been hit hard by injury.
It has contributed to some poor results and Burnley have struggled at both ends of the field.
Lyle Foster could be back to give Parker more options, but Burnley are struggling with the balance needed at this level.
The last time they played here, Burnley were 0-2 down very quickly against Newcastle United and they have lost 5 of the last 6 at Turf Moor. In that time, Burnley have conceded far too many chances and this Manchester United team can conclude a couple of very difficult days with a solid victory to begin yet another new era for the club.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Burnley 0-2 Manchester United
