Does ten Hag have to put away the next setback?

When Casemiro scored in the 88th minute to tie the game 3-2 at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night in the first CL matchday, some older fans may have had memories of 1998/1999, when United scored two late goals to snatch the trophy from Bayern in the closing stages. History did not repeat itself, however, as two more goals in stoppage time saw ten Hag’s side lose their opening match in the top flight 4-3 at the German record champions.

Although the Red Devils certainly went into the encounter as underdogs, the disappointment was written all over their faces afterwards. No wonder, because in the sixth match of the still young season, United already suffered their fourth defeat.

The English record champions are therefore already under pressure ahead of the upcoming Premier League match. However, it is anything but self-evident that the betting on the supposed favourites will come true on Saturday evening in the clash between Burnley and Manchester United.

MUFC are again struggling with a lot of sideshow issues at the moment. The personnel issue of Jadon Sancho currently casts a bad light on Erik ten Hag, who is already looking a bit battered, and those responsible also don’t quite know how to deal with the accusations against Brazilian winger Antony.

Problems upon problems for the red devils, but at least they are now travelling to an opponent against whom they have often brought good results in the recent past. Perhaps that is the reason to settle on a prediction between Burnley and Manchester United in the direction of a visiting treble.

Burnley – Statistics & current form

How much teaching money can a team pay before they go for broke? This immensely philosophical question, which can probably only be answered with a twinkle in the eye, is currently being asked by the players of Burnley Football Club. After four matchdays, the promoted team is still waiting for its first three points. At least they managed to get their first point on Monday evening with a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, after losing all of their first three matches.

Once again, however, a little more would have been possible from the point of view of coach Vincent Kompany’s team, who, unlike in recent Premier League years, are not defined exclusively by their work against the ball but want to take the initiative themselves. However, Swiss international Amdouni’s 1-0 lead only lasted until the 61st minute. To make matters worse, Lyle Foster was sent off in injury time and will therefore miss the match with a suspension.

Burnley are currently conceding an average of three goals per game

In addition to the indiscipline – it was already the second sending-off this season – the defensive vulnerability must also be worked on. Twelve goals conceded in the first four match days is the weakest figure in the Premier League. In the two home games against Aston Villa and Tottenham alone, a total of eight goals were conceded, with at least four goals scored by Burnley themselves. Given these statistics, the odds on at least three goals in the match between Burnley and Manchester United seem plausible.

In any case, the bottom line is that we would not bet on the home team, especially as they have lost all of their last five PL home games and have not won any of their last 13 (!) Premier League matches in August or September.

To make matters worse, they have conceded two goals in the first 45 minutes in three of the four matches they have played so far. If you believe in a high-scoring first half this time around, you can pick up attractive odds of 2.30 at the top for the over 1.5 in the first half in the Burnley v Manchester United match.

Predicted Burnley line-up:

Burnley (Expected line-up) 4-4-2

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

Last season, there was a feeling that Erik ten Hag could lead Manchester United back to where this world-class club belongs: the national and international top! In the meantime, however, the doubts that the return to the old glory can actually succeed under the Dutch coach are growing from week to week. The former coach of Bayern’s reserve team probably can’t afford many more gaffes before his personnel will be discussed as well.

Admittedly, the starting position that the football coach currently finds in the wide round of Old Trafford is anything but optimal. Sancho and Antony have been suspended, and several players are missing due to injury. Especially in defence, ten Hag has had to improvise almost regularly. Nevertheless, there is still enough quality to bring in the urgently needed results.

ManUtd don’t want to lose touch with the top

However, the deficits shown in the game against the ball must be eliminated as quickly as possible and, above all, the number of individual mistakes must be minimised. Manchester United have also conceded ten goals and have conceded at least two goals in four consecutive Premier League games. Meanwhile, five league games in a row with 2+ goals conceded hasn’t happened since 1977…

The record against newcomers reads much more positively. Of the past 24 PL matches, only one was lost against promoted teams (17 wins, six draws). The most recent eight matches of this kind were all victorious.

Hope is also raised by Wednesday’s decent performance at the Allianz Arena, which impressively underlined that the matches involving United are simply too wild at the moment. Nevertheless, between Burnley and Manchester United, it is safe to predict that a team that scores three times in Munich will also score three or more goals at Turf Moor. Risk-averse bettors could pick up odds in the region of 3.00 for this one.

Predicted Manchester United line-up:

Manchester United (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1

Burnley – Manchester United Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

In the Premier League, Burnley have won just one of 15 meetings against MUFC so far. This compares to five draws and nine defeats. In total, the Clarets have only scored eleven goals of their own, only two of them in front of a home crowd. Unsurprisingly, the Red Devils have not lost any of their last seven away games at Burnley and will be keen to continue that run on Saturday night.

Burnley – Manchester United Tip

With just six points from five games, Manchester United have made a mess of their start to the season. In their current form, the record champions have nothing whatsoever to do with the title race in England. Especially defensively, the Red Devils have been wild lately, conceding at least two goals four times in a row.

There are only two clubs that have conceded more goals so far. One of them is Burnley Football Club, who host Erik ten Hag’s side on Saturday night at the unusual PL kick-off time of 9pm. It is almost self-explanatory that low betting odds on over-goals are on offer between Burnley and Manchester United.

In fact, playing the over 2.5 is also our preferred option. The highest odds are currently offered by Betano at 1.62. We venture a confident bet of eight units while still pointing to an exciting alternative.