Can Burnley Take Advantage of United’s Injury Problems?
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Burnley welcome Manchester United to Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon for a Premier League game which has a great deal riding on it.
Burnley start the weekend sitting 14th in the Premier League with 36 points from 33 games played. The Clarets have not considered relegation a real possibility this season but if Hull and Swansea win their home matches this weekend, they could be just 5 points clear of the relegation zone with four games to play.
Manchester United make the short trip north to Burnley with Champions League qualification firmly on their mind. The Red Devils defeat of Chelsea last weekend means they are still in contention for a place in the top four and with the Manchester derby coming up in the week, this is considered as a must-win game.
Trends show Burnley have won only one of their previous eleven matches in all competitions, a run which must be of concern to manager Sean Dyche. The win came at home to Stoke City in the Premier League at the start of April but this has been their only win in the last ten Premier League games.
Away from home is where their real troubles have been this season and Burnley are still to win a match on the road in the Premier League this season. However, in the reverse fixture against Manchester United they did pick up a good point at Old Trafford in a 0-0 draw.
Thankfully, home form has been much better and trends show Burnley have won eight of their previous eleven games in all competitions at Turf Moor. If it wasn’t for their record at home, Burnley would surely find themselves at the bottom of the table this season.
Manchester United are on a run of twenty-two games unbeaten in the Premier League and will be aiming to extend their run with a win this weekend. Jose Mourinho’s men are also unbeaten in their previous nine away Premier League games and their away form is currently better than their form at Old Trafford.
Wins at Swansea, Crystal Palace, West Brom, West Ham, Leicester and Sunderland show Manchester United are a team who have no problem defeating sides lower down the Premier League table away from home.
However, Mourinho has several concerns on the injury front ahead of this match. Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo have been lost to serious injuries following Thursday night’s Europa League game against Anderlecht and they join Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Juan Mata on the treatment table.
While Mourinho can call upon Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney in attack, it’s defensively where the problems are mounting. Daley Blind may have to step into central defence, as Mourinho looks to shuffle the pack following the match which went into extra-time on Thursday.
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