A conciliatory end to the year for the Red Devils?
The 2021 calendar year in the English Premier League should have ended with two games on Thursday evening. A game had to be postponed again and thus only one game is on the programme. The last whistle in this unusual year will sound at the venerable Old Trafford Stadium. Under German interim coach Ralf Rangnick, hosts Manchester United will face Burnley.
For 63-year-old Ralf Rangnick, this will be his fifth game as Red Devils coach. Even though Manchester United are still unbeaten under his wing, their performances still have room for improvement. However, this does not change the fact that the home side are seen as heavy favourites in this match. Odds of under 1.40 are on offer for a Manchester United home win over Burnley.
An assessment that is not only the case because of the big name at Manchester United, but also understandable from a sporting point of view. Manchester United are certainly not in top form, but the condition of the visitors from Burnley is absolutely frightening. In addition, the Dyche eleven lacks any match practice after the last three league matches were all cancelled. Arguments for the visitors are accordingly very difficult to find. The match kicks off on Thursday evening at 21:15.
Manchester United – Statistics & current form
For this season, Ralf Rangnick is expected to pull the chestnuts out of the fire with his expertise and then be available to the Red Devils in an advisory capacity from next season. For the long-term development of Manchester United, this is certainly a very good move, because Rangnick can certainly bring the club forward in certain areas with his expertise. First, however, the focus is on the sporting side of the game, where there have been two wins and two draws in the first four league games. With 17 games played, Manchester United are currently only in a disappointing seventh place in the table.
Haven’t lost their last league game since 2011
In addition to the much higher quality in sporting terms, another statistic clearly speaks in favour of the hosts, as Manchester United last lost their last league match of a year in the calendar year 2011. At that time, there was a 2:3 defeat against Blackburn Rovers, since then the Red Devils have celebrated six victories and three draws. That included a success against Burnley FC two years ago in the last game of 2019.
A win on Thursday is also almost mandatory in order not to lose touch with the Champions League places. The gap is currently seven points, but Arsenal have played two games more. However, defeats against relegation candidates should not become the rule, because at the weekend there was only a meagre 1-1 draw against the newly rich Newcastle. Manchester United were not at all convincing, especially in terms of play, as the 16-day compulsory break clearly left its mark. Superstar “CR7” was lucky when he was only given a yellow card after a hard foul.
Defensive stability leaves much to be desired
Also against the Magpies, it was evident that Manchester United lack the balance between offence and defence. A “nil” has been a rarity in recent weeks, and in the last 13 home games this has only been achieved once. But now Burnley, one of the most offensively weak teams in the Premier League, is visiting Manchester United and therefore betting that both teams will not score can be an option against Burnley.
Predicted Manchester United line-up:
De Gea – Shaw, Maguire, Varane, Dalot – Bruno Fernandes, McTominay, van de Beek, Rashford – Cristiano Ronaldo, Greenwood
Last matches played by Manchester United:
Premier League
12/27 2021 – Newcastle United 1 – 1 Manchester United
12/11 2021 – Norwich 0 – 1 Manchester United
Champions League Grp. F
12/08 2021 – Manchester United 1 – 1 BSC Young Boys
Premier League
12/05 2021 – Manchester United 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
12/02 2021 – Manchester United 3 – 2 Arsenal London
Burnley – Statistics & current form
Looking at the current English Premier League table is absolutely deceptive. The fixture list has been shaken up in the last few days and there are still a number of catch-up games on the agenda. Head coach Sean Dyche’s Burnley FC has been hit particularly hard. Burnley have only played 15 league games so far and therefore already have four catch-up games to play. The game against Tottenham fell victim to snowfall, while Burnley’s last three league games have all been postponed due to a Corona outbreak.
Goalless for three league games
After all, the enforced break came at a time when Burnley’s form was shockingly poor anyway. Before the break, Dyche’s eleven had gone three league games in a row without scoring a goal of their own. Of particular note is the fact that just three shots on goal were fired in those 270 minutes. The last time the Clarets scored was on 20 November, when they drew 3-3 with Crystal Palace. Burnley FC’s only win so far this season came against promoted Brentford on 30 October, and Burnley have failed to win any of their 14 remaining games.
Unsurprisingly, the Clarets currently occupy a relegation spot. In view of the two-point gap (and the large number of games to be played), this is a situation that is by no means a cause for concern. Nevertheless, Burnley have not won any of their last nine PL away games (four draws, five defeats). Accordingly, a surprise in Thursday’s clash between Manchester United and Burnley is unlikely and betting on the visitors is strongly discouraged.
The bad form, the winless series away from home and the long break (Burnley will play a match for the first time since 12 December) are all arguments that make a home win seem very likely. In addition, there is still a small question mark behind one or the other of the Clarets’ personnel.
Predicted line-up of Burnley:
Pope – Taylore, Mee, Tarkowski, Lowton – McNeil, Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson – Wood, Rodriguez
Last matches played by Burnley:
Premier League
12/12 2021 – Burnley 0 – 0 West Ham
12/04 2021 – Newcastle United 1 – 0 Burnley
12/01 2021 – Wolverhampton 0 – 0 Burnley
11/20 2021 – Burnley 3 – 3 Crystal Palace
11/06 2021 – Chelsea London 1 – 1 Burnley
Manchester United – Burnley Direct Comparison / H2H Record
A trip to Old Trafford has rarely been successful for the Clarets of Burnley FC in the recent past. Only one of the last 13 away games at Old Trafford ended in an away win. The favourites, meanwhile, have celebrated eight victories, with four games ending in a draw. Since the introduction of the Premier League, Burnley have played seven times at Old Trafford and have collected six points. This is not an outstanding figure, but it is worth mentioning, as Burnley have only collected ten points in the 14 games against the Red Devils. Thus, 60 percent of the points were collected away from home.
Manchester United – Burnley Tip
The home side’s lack of rhythm in their clash with the Magpies was clear to see. Burnley will probably have a similar experience in this match, as the long forced break, which partly included a break from training, was far from ideal. In addition, Burnley have been in shockingly poor form in recent weeks (only one win this season). The signs for a surprise are not there, so the prediction for the match Manchester United vs Burnley is in the direction of the home side.
Absolutely convincing, the Red Devils have not (yet) presented themselves since the Rangnick takeover. Compared to Burnley, however, there are countless points that speak for the home side. In addition, it is a must-win with regard to the Champions League places. Due to the visitors’ weak attack, the predictions for Manchester United and Burnley are based on “Both teams meet? No” and the tip “Manchester win by 0”. Also very interesting is the possibility of a handicap win, which is played with a stake of six units. The odds are very good that United will take advantage of the visitors’ lack of rhythm and finish 2021 with an outright win.
