Manchester United will host 17th placed Burnley tomorrow in the Premier League. Second placed Manchester United breezed paced Granada in the Europa League on Thursday setting up a nice matchup against Italian side Roma.
Burnley have not been defeated at Old Trafford since 2015, a win and three draws in the last six years against Manchester United could help motivate the Clarets, any points away from home against a top club is immense for a team like Burnley.
Burnley sit comfortably above Fulham for now, the two sides face off in May in a six point relegation game. Picking up points at Old Trafford would be a huge boost for survival for Burnley and could give them the push to stay up.
Manchester United have put the loss in the FA cup to Leicester City behind them and have won four games in a row. United have not lost in the league since January 27th, a 1-2 defeat at Old Trafford to Sheffield Untied. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about the situation at his press conference.
“It is a massive game for the players. Massive game for them to show the mentality that they have shown over the last 13-14 months because I think the attitude has been spot on. The determination, the bounce back ability the of not letting one defeat derail your season or lose the momentum. Get straight back on getting points or a win. The way the players have coped with the whole situation, the players I have to say they have impressed me.”
Sheffield United and Burnley are similar in style, they both like to defend, but have struggled this year. However, against United they have had success in sitting back and looking to counter. Man United some good games against counter attacking teams this season.
Burnley have this discipline to sit tight and wait for that counter. Even a draw would be big for them at this point of the season, it must e the game plan for Sean Dyche.
Their players really embrace that style, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee are solid defenders in the league, Nick Pope was the England goalkeeper during this recent international break and Chris Wood is a strong presence in the long ball and set piece part of the game.
Dwight McNeil is Burnley’s main playmaking asset, despite only having 2 goals and three assists in the league this season, he is a threat on a defensive minded team. The story the last couple of days is the fact that he used to play in the United youth system, McNeil spoke to the press about how his release made him more focused.
Manchester United Team News
Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay got some much needed rest in the midweek game against Granada, they were out because of yellow card suspensions, but they needed some rest, Maguire has played every minute in the league.
Manchester Untied are getting healthier and stronger at the right time to finish off the season strong. Axel Tuanzebe, Donny van de Beek and Edison Cavani had a good game against Granada and makes the team selection a little harder for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Cavani is in nice form at the moment and has scored in back to back games. Donny van de Beek knocked the ball around well against Granada and should have had an assist, but Mason Greenwood missed the header.
It was also a good health boost in the squad that Marcus Rashford also got to sit out. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about that during his press conference for Burnley.
“Big bonus that he didn’t have to put any pressure on his foot, yes. I have got to hope he can be available and not make it worse, that is the decision I have got to make so fingers crossed. He wasn’t due to be on the bench really, he didn’t train yesterday but just in case he put his hand up and said if needed I could do a job.”
Manchester United are in a great situation with the squad and form, three points is a must against Burnley tomorrow.
