Premier League: Ragged Red Devils Prepare to Meet Kompany’s Boys

Burnley vs Manchester United

Erik Ten Hag brings Manchester United 30km north on Saturday night to take on Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, and he’s aiming to avoid a fourth defeat in a row.

Premier League: Burnley vs Manchester United is a red-hot prospect for fans in East Lancashire; Turf Moor will be packed to the rafters, and you will be able to hear the noise in neighbouring Blackburn.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is not a fan of the Red Devils. He is a Manchester City playing legend, and there is nothing he’d like more than to prolong the visitors’ miserable run.

Kompany is a young manager with a young team, but he has a wealth of Premier League experience, with four title triumphs, and as much as he loves a big game, he hates losing.

The Clarets got their season off the mark with a well-earned point at Nottingham Forest on Monday, while Manchester United lost to FC Bayern on Wednesday to make it three defeats on the bounce.

While Ten Hag’s team are favourites to pick up all three points, the Red Devils the Premier League 2023 betting odds say this is a game that could go either way, and this is a cracking prospect for the neutrals among us.

Talking Points

Kompany’s clear strategy

Three defeats to open the campaign are not a great start, but matches against Manchester City and Aston Villa, the two best teams over the past six months, and then Spurs, the other form team of this campaign, were never going to be easy.

And in Burnley’s other two games this season, both away to Nottingham Forest, they picked up a 1-0 Carabao Cup win and a 1-1 Premier League draw.

Kompany is a smart guy, a disciple of Pep Guardiola, and he has steely focus on what he is trying to achieve at Burnley. He knows the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is huge, and he insists his young team will improve as the season goes on.

He also knows how important it is to stay in the top flight, and that is why he uses Premier League experience in his squad to provide a solid base for his exciting new incomers to thrive and entertain.

Kompany brought in Josh Brownhill and Charlie Taylor to face Forest, but for a world class strike from Callum Hudson Odoi Burnley would have recorded a clean sheet.    

From what we have seen so far, 19-year-old winger Luca Koleosho is sure to make some special Premier League 2023 highlights. During Burnley’s draw with Forest he rinsed World Cup winner Gonzalo Montiel so much that the Argentine was substituted by Steve Cooper.

Add into the mix Zeki Amdouni, known as the Swiss Messi by Burnley fans, and new signing Mike Tresor, and this is an exciting attack. But can they deliver against the Red Devils?

Were United better against Bayern?

4-3 away to the second favourites for the 2023-24 Champions League doesn’t sound like such a bad result, but the final score line masked just how easily Bayern took the Red Devils apart.

Two late goals from Casemiro made the score look more respectable, but the United defence collapsed in the first half, conceding two goals in four minutes and keeper Andre Onana had a nightmare when he let in the opener.

On a brighter note, striker Rasmus Hojlund scored and Marcus Rashford made an assist, and the manager is counting on those two to forge a profitable partnership.

But with a lengthy injury list, off-field problems and a losing run, Ten Hag desperately needs a turnaround, but he won’t expect a comfortable evening in Burnley.  

History

Manchester United have won 11 of the 18 meetings with Burnley over the past two decades, with the Clarets winning just two and drawing five. The two teams met in the fourth round of last season’s Carabao Cup, and the Red Devils ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford.

In terms of recent form, both teams have lost four of the last six and are in need of three points, but I would argue Manchester United’s immediate need is greater.     

Betting Tip

Manchester United are the favourites to win this clash at a SBOTOP price of 1.75, with the Clarets at 3.78 and the draw at 3.50.

Conventional wisdom would say that United’s riches and quality in their squad should be too much for the young Clarets, but the hosts will be fearless while the visitors are under some serious pressure.

A 1-1 draw or a 1-2 away are both pitched at 6.56 as the lowest priced score lines; Ten Hag would be delighted with a win and maybe relieved with a draw, while Burnley will simply keep on trying to get better and the results will follow soon enough.   

 

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