Manchester United are tonight desperate for victory as they travel to face newly-promoted Burnley in the Premier League.
Despite an impressive maiden season at Old Trafford that included a first major trophy for some six years and a third-place finish, Erik ten Hag has come under increasing pressure after a dismal start to the season for his side.
United continue to battle an injury crisis and off-field issues and have lost four of their first six matches across all competitions to open the new campaign, including three in a row at the hands of Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich, with the 4-3 scoreline in Wednesday’s Champions League opener in Bavaria not a fair reflection of the game.
United looked very unconvincing in their only two wins to date too, at home to Wolves and Nottingham Forest respectively, and must bounce back against their Lancashire rivals this weekend.
Burnley currently sit in the relegation zone after a winless start to their latest top-flight return, with Vincent Kompany’s men losing emphatically at home to all of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham before battling for their first point at Forest on Monday, having beaten the same opponents in the Carabao Cup.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Burnley vs Manchester United is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off tonight, Saturday September 23, 2023.
The match will take place at Turf Moor.
Where to watch Burnley vs Manchester United
TV channel: In the UK, Saturday’s game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the TNT Sports app and website.
Burnley vs Manchester United team news
Burnley could have Brazilian full-back Vitinho available on Saturday, but Hjalmar Ekdal, Michael Obafemi and Darko Churlinov are all sidelined and South African striker Lyle Foster is suspended.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has now been added to United’s extensive injury list with a hamstring strain, joining the likes of Harry Maguire, Tom Heaton, Amad Diallo, Tyrell Malacia and Kobbie Mainoo.
United hope to have Raphael Varane and Mason Mount back on Saturday night, while deadline day signing Sofyan Amrabat has yet to make his debut for the club due to a back issue.
Wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho remain unavailable for selection, meanwhile.
Burnley vs Manchester United prediction
Both of these teams are in dire need of a win already during such an early stage of the season.
All of Ten Hag’s significant goodwill built up during his strong first season in charge seems to be dissipating fast, while Burnley can ill-afford to become cut adrift in the bottom three.
There is no pressure on Kompany yet after last season’s heroics, but the longer this winless run goes on the more damaging it will become to the Clarets’ overall morale and survival bid.
This won’t be a classic between two sides short on confidence, but we expect United to get the job done in scrappy fashion to ease the talk of crisis.
Manchester United to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two sides last met in the Carabao Cup last December, with Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford both on target in a 2-0 home win as eventual winners United reached the quarter-finals.
Manchester United wins: 66
Burnley wins: 45
Draws: 24
Burnley vs Manchester United match odds
Burnley to win: 10/3
Manchester United to win: 4/7
Draw: 12/5
