Manchester United visit Turf Moor this weekend, as they face 14th placed Burnley in the Premier League.
Manchester United return to Premier League action on the back of a 2-1 extra-time victory over Anderlecht, as they advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League. United’s previous action in the league was the 2-0 win over Chelsea last weekend. They are now 5th in the standings, four points behind fourth-placed Man City, albeit with a game in hand.
Burnley’s last Premier League action came last weekend against Everton when they lost 3-1. They are a point ahead of Crystal Palace, having played a game more. With a victory against United, they could leapfrog West Ham and Leicester City into 11th, provided that these two teams fail to register wins in their respective matches.
United are without Juan Mata, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the trip, and there are serious concerns over the availability of Marcos Rojo. Mourinho has already confirmed that Ander Herrera and Ashley Young would start against Burnley, also stating that he would require every player now, including Axel Tuanzebe. On the other hand, Sean Dyche’s team does not have any serious injury or suspension concerns, apart from Dean Marney and Johann Gudmundsson, who remain sidelined with long-term knee injuries.
Burnley have the sixth best home record this season, as they’ve won 32 points out of a possible 48 at home. They’ve conceded just 14 goals in 16 games at the Turf Moor this season. But don’t worry, United boast the third best away record this season, winning 30 points out of a possible 42 away from Old Trafford.
This would for sure be a cracker of a match and could potentially affect either team’s ambitions this season. United can’t afford to drop any points, and they’ll be eyeing a victory at any cost.