Burnley and Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways when they lock horns at Turf Moor on Wednesday.
Gameweek 21 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Wednesday. The action on an action-packed day will start with six games before ending with two simultaneous matches, including Burnley vs Manchester United at Turf Moor.
Burnley may produced many spirited performances this season, but that is not enough to guarantee safety in the relegation. The lack of quality in the squad has left the Lancashire-based outfit in a spot of bother, and they are 19th in the Premier League standings, six points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest. The Clarets are on an 11-match winless run, losing nine of those games.
On the other hand, Manchester United will begin the post-Ruben Amorim era on Wednesday after sacking the Portuguese tactician this week. The Red Devils showed Amorim the door after a few run-ins behind the scenes. Darren Fletcher has taken caretaker charge of the first team, and he will aim to continue the push for European qualification in the coming weeks, with the club sixth in the Premier League standings.
Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Burnley 3-2 in the reverse fixture, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the late winner. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Scott Parker has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Burnley manager may be bereft of the services of as many as ten first-team players vs Manchester United on Wednesday.
Maxime Esteve is the closest to returning to action, and Parker hopes to have the Frenchman at his disposal this week. However, Jordan Beyer (hamstring), Joe Worrall (unspecified), Connor Roberts (achilles), Josh Cullen (knee), Zian Flemming (knock), and Zeki Amdouni (knee) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Axel Tuanzebe, Hannibal Mejbri, and Lyle Foster are still at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Martin Dubravka is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Wednesday. The backline will feature Kyle Walker, Hjalmar Ekdal, Maxime Esteve, and Lucas Pires. Bashir Humphreys will start alongside Ekdal if Esteve is not fit and available.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Florentino Luis, Josh Laurent, and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. Finally, Armando Broja will lead the line for Burnley against Manchester United, with Jaidon Anthony and Marcus Edwards being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Pires; Ugochukwu, Florentino, Laurent; Edwards, Broja, Anthony
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Burnley dugout, Darren Fletcher has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. Manchester United’s interim head coach may be without only half a dozen first-team players on Wednesday.
Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount are closing in on returning, and they should be in the matchday squad. Kobbie Mainoo (calf) has also stepped up his recovery, but Wednesday’s game has come too soon for him. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire (hamstring) and Matthijs de Ligt (lower back) remain in the treatment room. Additionally, Noussair Mazraoui, Bryan Mbeumo, and Amad Diallo are at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Burnley on Wednesday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw.
As for the midfield unit, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte will pair up in the double pivot, with Joshua Zirkzee reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Benjamin Sesko will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Burnley, with Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Ugarte; Dorgu, Zirkzee, Cunha; Sesko
Key Stats
- Burnley won their first-ever Premier League home game vs Manchester United 1-0 in August 2009. However, the Clarets are winless in eight against them since then (D2 L6), scoring just one goal during this run. Though they have lost just two of their 19 Premier League games against Burnley, the Red Devils are aiming to secure the Premier League double over them for just the second time after 2020/21. Meanwhile, only two of Burnley’s 14 Premier League goals against Manchester United have come in home games (14%), the lowest share of any side to net ten or more against another in the competition.
- Burnley picked up seven points in their first four home Premier League games this season (W2 D1 L1). However, since then, they have won only one point in their six subsequent outings at Turf Moor (D1 L5), a 0-0 draw with Everton in Gameweek 18.
- Manchester United have lost just two of their last 36 Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W23 D11).
- Burnley are winless in their 11 most recent Premier League games (D2 L9), only going longer without a win within a single top-flight season on four previous occasions, most recently from November 2009 to January 2010 (12).
- Manchester United have not kept a clean sheet in their 15 most recent Premier League away games (28 goals conceded) since a 3-0 win over Leicester City in March 2025. They last had a longer run without an away league shutout between September 1977 and April 1978 (17 games).
Player to Watch
Matheus Cunha
While Bruno Fernandes, Armando Broja, and Jaidon Anthony were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Matheus Cunha as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s Premier League match between Burnley and Manchester United at Turf Moor.
The Brazilian international is the in-form player at Manchester United, scoring three goals in his last five Premier League appearances, as many as his previous 20 before this run. Meanwhile, Cunha has nine goal involvements (G5 A4) in his eight most recent league games against promoted opponents. With such numbers to back his case, it is hardly surprising that he is a captaincy candidate in FPL heading into Gameweek 21.
Prediction
Burnley 1-3 Manchester United
Manchester United players will step onto the field on Wednesday with a point to prove, and they could not have asked for a better opponent than Burnley. The Clarets are in the doldrums after failing to win their last 11 Premier League games. Additionally, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount are in contention to feature in the midweek clash.
With the Manchester United talisman returning on Wednesday, an impressive performance may be on the cards. However, Burnley will not go down without a fight, exposing the away side’s defensive vulnerabilities. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Darren Fletcher and his charges.
