Manchester United V Burnley

Manchester United V Burnley

Saturday, 16^th January –

Manchester United

League Position: 2nd

Recent Form: WLWWD

The only thing circling around the players minds will be revenge after Burnley inflicted the most embarrassing defeat of the season on the reigning league champions near the very start of the season. The Clarets recorded a memorable 1-0 victory at Turf Moor, the shock result of the season thus far, but now the Red Devils welcome them into Hell A.K.A Old Trafford for round two of this contest. However, Burnley are at a disadvantage what with Owen Coyle’s departure leaving Burnley manager-less, but this is Fergie and it will be a no holds barred contest in Manchester so expect no sympathy from the United camp.

If you thought the 1-0 defeat at Burnley was bad, it was horrific in actual fact, then we best not describe what the loss to Leeds United at Old Trafford felt like a fortnight ago. In that game, United were terrible, probably the worst we’ve seen them play in a good season or two, it was that bad. However, they didn’t play much better last weekend as they played out a 1-1 draw with Birmingham in which they would consider themselves fortunate to have taken a point away from a game where Birmingham had far more chances but yet spurred the vast majority of them.

We know all about United’s injury list but that list is decreasing so that excuse is no longer valid. Their star-studded defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic & Rio Ferdinand have missed a large proportion of United’s games, though, this season and words cannot describe how sorely missed the pair have been at the heart of what has been a shaky and exposed defence in their wake. Johnny Evans is supposedly the next best centre-half in the squad but he looks Championship standard at best, while Gary Neville just doesn’t have the pace nor height to compete at the highest level any more (just our honest yet brutal opinion). All this cumulates in a shoddy back line, one which is leaking goals at present and will cost them plenty of points until Ferdinand & Vidic return to save them.

The latter, Nemanja Vidic, could actually make his return from injury for this game which will be welcomed with a sigh of collective relief around Old Trafford but will his presence at the back be enough? Vidic isn’t really a leader and while Neville is, or was, he simply isn’t getting the best out of this makeshift United defence and that’s a big concern. United were far too exposed at St. Andrews on Saturday, especially from set-plays with actual man-marking non-existent.

At Old Trafford, though, is where United have been playing better and earning more points this season, with eight of their fourteen victories coming at home. They’ve won their last two league games at home; victories over Wigan Athletic (5-0) and Wolves (3-0), both were emphatic and both were tidy, but they severely let themselves down at home to Leeds United in which they shown huge signs of complacency. To be honest, they shouldn’t encounter similar problems at home to Burnley this weekend as the Clarets have been poor on the road all season but that doesn’t entitle them to three easy points. A big improvement is needed from the current champions!

Burnley

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: DDLDL 

Burnley, now without Owen Coyle, aim to complete what would be an historic double over Manchester United on Saturday as they travel up to Manchester in the knowledge that they beat the Red Devils 1-0 in the home fixture. Robbie Blake sublime volley sealed a memorable victory for the Clarets but they’ll have their work cut out getting anything from the second instalment of the United V Burnley bout as their away form has been dire this season.

Form and momentum is crucial when heading out to a tough venue, something we always say, but Burnley have very little of either after a lengthy nine match run without a victory. Their last set of three points came by virtue of a 2-0 win over a hapless Hull City, a team that hasn’t won an away game all season, much like Burnley. However, to know the stuffing well and truly out of all you Burnley fans, your side have only gone and lost on their last four away trips and haven’t picked up an away point since the beginning of November, a whole two months ago.

Burnley’s poor away form translates into dire reading (0-1-9), with the Clarets avoiding defeat in just one of their ten away fixtures thus far. However, the bad news doesn’t stop their as their away goal difference is something nightmares are made out of, especially for a manager which is perhaps why Owen Coyle did leave for sunny skies in Bolton. In those ten away outings, which we will remind you that nine were defeats, Burnley shipped a staggering amount of goals – 31, whilst managing just the 8 in return giving them a lousy -23 goal difference on the road after half the season completed.

The statistics make for dreadful and paint an almost flawless picture on United’s chances. It would take the miracle of all footballing miracles for Burnley to even hold the mighty Manchester United at Old Trafford judging by not only their poor away record, or their poor away defence, or even their poor away run of four straight defeats but because of their recent poor away displays; in combination with all the rest. Burnley haven’t scored a single goal in over 270 minutes of away play, not since their 5-3 stuffing at West Ham, and we don’t think for one minute that their blunt scoring habit will die young at Old Trafford this Saturday in a game where clear cut chances will be few and far between.

Match Verdict: Manchester United to WIN – 1.18 PaddyPower

There is nothing in United’s form to say that this will be a romp but Burnley have been a poor away outfit throughout the first half of the season, avoiding defeat in just one of their ten away outings at the mid-way point. They are conceding a staggering amount of goals when on their travels, averaging 3 a game, and while United haven’t been playing well we still fancy them to stroll through this fixture. A big win would lift the morale of the camp and we expect just that.

Match Odds:

Manchester United – 1.18 PaddyPower

Draw – 7.00 SkyBet

Burnley – 17.00 Boylesports

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Man Utd to WIN to NIL – 1.80 SkyBet