After going out of the FA Cup to Middlesbrough on penalties, Manchester United return to Premier League action. Ralf Rangnick takes his team down to Turf Moor for a Tuesday night game against Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Let’s have a look at what we might expect to see in this fixture.
Opposition
Burnley come into this game with some pretty terrible form. In their last five matches, they haven’t won anything, they have lost three times and drawn twice. Considering how many years they have managed to stay in the Premier League, they look set for a real relegation battle this season. They are currently bottom of the table, having played 19 games they have only one win to their name. With only 13 points in the league, they could very well be playing the Championship next season.
In terms of lineup, they are relatively predictable. Sean Dyche likes to set up with a 4-4-2 starting with Nick Pope in goal. Moving forward, I’d expect to see a centre-back partnership of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski. With Charlie Taylor at left back and Connor Roberts as right-back. In central midfield I think we will see Josh Brownhill partnering Ashley Westwood. Maxwell Cornett could start on the left wing, with Dwight McNeill on the right. And then a striker partnership of Wout Weghorst and Jay Rodriguez up top.
Manchester United
After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough, Manchester United could do with a convincing win and a big performance to try and lift the mood around the club. It feels like we are saying the same things about all of our league games lately, but this is must win if we want to solidify the hold we have on 4th place right now. I think we could see a decent performance here if the team can play like they did in the first half against Middlesbrough and not like some of the performances we have seen of late.
With that in mind, I would imagine that Ralf Rangnick sticks with the 4-3-3 formation that we have seen being utilised in recent weeks. After a break for the FA Cup game, I expect David de Gea to return in net. With the centre-backs in front of him most likely being Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire. With Alex Telles out with Covid, Luke Shaw will keep his place at left-back. And then I expect Diogo Dalot to retain his spot at right-back, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka not being picked at all lately.
And then in midfield, I think we could see McTominay in the deeper role. With Bruno and Pogba playing as those two number 8s. The creativity that both of those players possess should be more than enough to unlock a Burnley defence. On the left I think we will see Marcus Rashford get the start. With Jadon Sancho on the right. And Cristiano Ronaldo up top. This should be more than enough to get past Burnley. I think we could see a very open game like we did last time we faced them earlier this season. With that in mind I am going for a United 3-0 win.
