Burnley will be hoping to pile more misery on Manchester United in their quest to pick their first point in the Premier League. Sean Dyche’s side will be hoping to replicate the courage they showed at the Liberty Stadium in the second half when they almost managed to get a draw.
The Clarets have endured a tough season so far, with three straight defeats in all competitions. While they expected the Premier League games against Chelsea and Swansea away to be tough, they did not expect to suffer an early Capital One Cup exit to a lower league side. But they suffered a disappointing 1-0 home loss against Sheffield Wednesday.
Manchester United may at least have a point in the Premier League thanks to an away draw at Sunderland but they are in a deeper crisis. Louis van Gaal’s side are coming off a humiliating 4-0 defeat against League One minnows Milton Keynes Dons in the Capital One Cup. That made it two losses in three competitive games for Manchester United this season.
There is still faith though in the Manchester United camp as they are buoyed by British record breaking transfer of Angel Di Maria to the club. That coup creates a conundrum as to how the Manchester giants will get the best out of their offensive stars. They will look to their veteran Dutch veteran manager, who was the best manager at the World Cup in terms of getting the best out of his top players, to solve it. United will be hoping that he will get it right starting from this game.
Burnley team news
- Sam Vokes is still out injured. He is the only injury concern for the Clarets.
- Stephen Ward, who recently signed from Wolves, will probably start on the bench again as Sean Dyche may be tempted to name the same team which took to the field against Swansea last week.
Manchester United team news
- Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard, Shinji Kagawa, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera are all sidelined with injuries.
- Marcos Rojo is still waiting for his work permit, while Di Maria is set to make his debut.
Prediction
Dyche will probably stick with the same 4-4-1-1 defensive formation that he used against Chelsea and Swansea. All the teams that have played Manchester United this season have caused them problems by keeping their wide midfielders high up the pitch to attack the space on the flanks that Van Gaal’s men have been struggling to deal with. Clarets boss Dyche will have to find the balance in terms of pushing his wingers Matthew Taylor and Scott Arfield up the pitch, while also keeping a solid defensive shape.
Van Gaal, on the other hand, will need his side to defend better than they have been doing recently. Jonny Evans was woeful in the 4-0 loss to MK Dons. This will be Evans’ chance to win back Van Gaal’s trust because United’s injury problems mean he is likely to retain his place. Evans has all the attributes to be the Dutch manager’s most important central defender in the 3-4-1-2 formation.
Offensively, Di Maria could be the matchwinner for Manchester United. The Argentinian midfielder could start alongside Darren Fletcher in central midfield but with the freedom to push forward. Burnley have been struggling to deal with mobile players in their defensive half so this could be a flying start for Di Maria.
