Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
If Manchester United do not win this time either, we may as well shelve ambitions of a place in the Champions League. There is still plenty of time to put things right, but when the opponent is Burnley, these are the fixtures you have to win in any circumstances.
Manchester United
Rúben Amorim has three new forwards at his disposal, bought for a combined €225.7m — a statistic that exceeds Burnley’s entire squad valuation on Transfermarkt (€221.5m). Meanwhile, Burnley are ahead of Manchester United in the standings, 10th vs 16th, and lead 2:1 on goals scored. It does matter who these sides have faced, though.
Burnley
Fair enough, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fall into the category of opponents who are extremely difficult to beat, but the other pair are a different matter. For Burnley, Sunderland are a comparable team and, given Sunderland’s extensive recruitment drive, they may even edge them on paper; on the pitch it finished 2:0. Manchester United outstrip Fulham by a factor of 2.5 in total squad value, yet still did not win — it ended 1:1. The team’s goal owed much to an opponent’s error — an opposition forward effectively set it up.
Manchester United vs Burnley Prediction
In other words, big-spending Manchester United have not scored a single goal. Their luck may turn, but in their current state Manchester United are unlikely to pull far clear of Burnley. If the visitors’ back line avoid errors when building from the back via the goalkeeper, they will not lose by more than a single goal.
