Man Utd vs Burnley preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Manchester United will hope to extend their unbeaten run against Burnley to eight games when they host the newly promoted side at Old Trafford on Saturday, 30 August.

Old Trafford served as the stage for most of United’s woes throughout the 2024-25 campaign, and their inability to shake off that pattern became clear right from the curtain-raiser of the new campaign.

Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 success in Manchester on Sunday handed United a 10th league loss on home soil since last season began. What made matters worse is the fact that all 10 arrived in less than a year — the sequence began on 1 September 2024, meaning the same number of defeats had previously taken over three years to accumulate, stretching back from October 2021 to May 2024.

Since Ruben Amorim succeeded Erik ten Hag in November, eight of those Old Trafford collapses have occurred, while the Arsenal setback marked the Portuguese’s 15th league defeat in 28 games. Not since Paul Hart’s Portsmouth in 2009 has a manager from a non-promoted side racked up 15 so swiftly, doing so in 27 fixtures.

When assessed purely by numbers, the picture is deeply concerning. Adding to that, failing to launch the season with even a single point threatens to undo the gains of pre-season before they have the chance to settle.

Nevertheless, there was a different feel inside the stadium on this occasion. The scoreline hardly painted the entire picture, and the general mood captured that sentiment.

Compared to last season’s lifeless group, United’s display carried bite, strength, purpose on the ball, and long stretches of command. Arsenal’s early breakthrough might have altered their strategy, yet Mikel Arteta could never have wanted his team to concede so much control.

Across the contest, United kept 60.7% possession, only the third time since 2016 they’ve enjoyed more than 60% against a fellow member of the so-called big six — the other two both against Tottenham.

Next up comes Burnley, again at Old Trafford, offering a chance to correct the opening stumble while strengthening the positives shown.

History favours United, who are unbeaten in the last seven league clashes with the Clarets — five victories and two stalemates — including a 1-0 triumph at Turf Moor in 2023-24, when Bruno Fernandes scored the decisive goal against Vincent Kompany’s men.

Once recognised in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year during his Tottenham days, Scott Parker has successfully imprinted his defensive discipline on Burnley, with last season producing a remarkable defensive record that etched their name into English football’s archives.

Throughout 46 Championship fixtures, Parker’s organised rearguard allowed only 16 goals – setting a new benchmark for the lowest goals conceded in an English league campaign – while also registering an extraordinary 30 shutouts. Yet, despite such dominance, his side also suffered an unprecedented disappointment.

Leeds United’s superior goal difference denied Burnley the top spot, making them the first English team to accumulate 100 points in a single campaign without lifting the title. Even so, the overriding objective of earning Premier League football again was achieved.

Nevertheless, the defensive resilience that defined their Championship run has not translated to the top flight. The Clarets have now gone 20 successive matches in the Premier League without keeping a clean sheet, a run extended when they conceded three goals to Tottenham on the opening weekend.

Man Utd vs Burnley match details

• Date: Saturday, 30 August
• Location: Manchester, England
• Venue: Old Trafford
• Kick-off time: 3pm BST
• Tickets: Fans can still buy tickets for Man Utd vs Burnley at Seatsnet.com

Match stats and head-to-head 

• Across their last seven encounters, the Red Devils have secured five victories and two draws, including a 1-0 win at Turf Moor in the 2023-24 campaign, where Bruno Fernandes struck the decisive goal against Vincent Kompany’s men.

• Burnley have registered just two wins over United in Premier League history, with their most recent triumph over the 20-time English champions coming at Old Trafford in January 2020, when they earned a 2-0 success.

• New signing Bryan Mbeumo attempted five shots in his first United home game — his highest tally in a Premier League outing since October 2023 against Burnley (six), and also his greatest without finding the net since April 2022 against Spurs (five). His effort surpassed every other player on the field, bettered by only three across the entire division. In addition, he regained possession five times, twice of which occurred in the attacking third, more than anyone else from either team. His totals of five pressures leading to turnovers and three in the final third, creating turnovers, were the best recorded in the contest and also ranked among the top in the league.

• At least two goals have been produced in seven of Burnley’s last ten fixtures in all competitions.

• Goalkeeper Altay Bayındır of United featured in two open-play moves that produced a shot — a figure only exceeded by James Trafford (three) among goalkeepers at the weekend — while no keeper completed more than his five line-breaking passes played behind the opposition striker.

• The Clarets have let in goals in each of their last 20 Premier League fixtures.

• Burnley finished as the strongest away side in the Championship last term, collecting 49 points from their 23 outings. They recorded more wins on the road than any other team (14) and suffered the fewest defeats away from home (two). However, during their most recent Premier League season in 2023-24, they lost 11 away matches.

Team news

Scott Parker entered Burnley’s clash with Tottenham boasting what he described as an almost complete squad, though several players remain long-term casualties. Zeki Amdouni, who is sidelined with an ACL problem, and Benson Manuel, recovering from an Achilles rupture, continue to miss out on selection.

Despite those issues, three fresh recruits featured from the outset in North London — Martin Dubravka took his position in goal. At the same time, defensive pair Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman were also handed their bows, and the newly arrived trio are tipped to hold on to their places for the visit to Old Trafford.

Armando Broja did not make the squad for that opener, with Parker admitting the Armenian striker must undergo further conditioning before he can be considered ready. Meanwhile, Jordan Beyer and Bashir Humphreys are still building up match fitness, and doubts linger over the availability of Axel Tuanzebe, Connor Roberts and Zian Flemming.

Turning to Manchester United, Ruben Amorim faces selection puzzles of his own as he attempts to strike a balance between bedding in summer arrivals and rewarding those who impressed during pre-season. High-profile names have been at the centre of attention, with Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Lisandro Martinez all in different situations.

Onana’s exclusion was perhaps the least shocking given that the goalkeeper had only managed four training sessions since returning from his layoff. Amorim also left Hojlund out of the 20-man group to face Arsenal, explaining that his absence was down to competition within the squad rather than fitness issues. However, with Benjamin Sesko joining the Red Devils, speculation continues that AC Milan could test United’s resolve with an approach for the Danish forward.

Injury recovery remains the key storyline for Lisandro Martinez, who is still working his way back from the ACL problem sustained against Crystal Palace in February. Noussair Mazraoui also sits out after picking up a thigh injury in United’s first pre-season outing with Leeds.

Predicted starting lineup

Man Utd predicted starting lineup:

Bayindir, De Light, Yoro, Shaw, Dalot, Fernandes, Casemiro, Dorgu, Mount, Mbeumo, Cunha.

Burnley predicted starting lineup:

Dubravka, Sonne, Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman, Mejbri, Cullen, Laurent, Anthony, Foster.

Prediction

Unlike their outstanding defensive statistics in the Championship, where only 16 goals were allowed all year, the Clarets have failed to keep out opponents in any of their warm-up matches.

With 22 attempts conceded against Tottenham — six of those requiring saves — doubts will linger over whether their backline can withstand the sharpness of United’s frontline trio of Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.

For Amorim’s side, the clash represents an early opportunity to put points on the board, and they will approach the contest with self-belief after delivering a strong performance in their meeting with last season’s league runners-up, Arsenal.

We’re predicting a 3-1 win for Man Utd.