Burnley Set to Battle Manchester United: Key Matchup Preview, Bold Predictions & Starting XI Revealed
Manchester United begin the post-Ruben Amorim chapter with a visit to faltering Burnley.
Amorim received his dismissal on Monday after his relationship with club leadership deteriorated and following 14 months of disappointing results. Though there has been marginal improvement this campaign, the 40-year-old has little grounds for complaint given his victory percentage of merely 38.1% in all competitions.
Former United player Darren Fletcher, presently managing the U18 squad, will oversee proceedings at Turf Moor, with the Red Devils anticipated to name a caretaker manager before selecting Amorim's permanent replacement.
United have secured victory in only one of their previous five matches and sit sixth in the Premier League table, though merely three points separate them from fourth-placed Liverpool. Despite their managerial uncertainty, they should expect success against the league's second-bottom team—Burnley remain without victory in their last 11 outings, suffering defeat in nine of those encounters.
Here is Sports Illustrated's preview of the fixture.
What Time Does Burnley vs. Man Utd Kick-Off?
Burnley vs. Man Utd Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Burnley | Man Utd |
|---|---|
Brighton 2–0 Burnley - 03/01/26 | Leeds 1–1 Man Utd - 04/01/26 |
Burnley 1–3 Newcastle - 30/12/25 | Man Utd 1–1 Wolves - 30/12/25 |
Burnley 0–0 Everton - 27/12/25 | Man Utd 1–0 Newcastle - 26/12/25 |
Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley - 20/12/25 | Aston Villa 2–1 Man Utd - 21/12/25 |
Burnley 2–3 Fulham - 13/12/25 | Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth - 15/12/25 |
How to Watch Burnley vs. Man Utd on TV
Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra |
United States | USA Network |
Canada | fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada, DAZN |
Mexico | TNT Sports, TNT Go, Max Mexico |
Burnley Team News
Scott Parker faces an extensive injury list, though he receives a boost with Lyle Foster and former United player Hannibal Mejbri returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. Their availability for Wednesday's match remains uncertain, while Axel Tuanzebe will miss the encounter against his former club due to international duties.
The Clarets have numerous injury concerns throughout their squad—Jordan Beyer, Maxime Estève, Connor Roberts and Joe Worrall all affecting their defensive options.
Josh Cullen represents a significant loss in the middle of the park—he's sidelined for the campaign with an ACL rupture—while Zeki Amdouni suffers from the identical injury. Zian Flemming appears doubtful for the attacking role due to a fitness concern.
Burnley Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd
Burnley predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (5-4-1): Dúbravka; Walker, Laurent, Ekdal, Humphreys, Pires; Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Florentino, Anthony; Broja.
Man Utd Team News
United remain optimistic that Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount could be included in the squad for the Burnley fixture, though neither seems likely to start at Turf Moor. The Red Devils will certainly have both players available for the Manchester derby on Jan. 17.
Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui continue their AFCON participation and remain unavailable, while Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are sidelined through fitness issues.
Fletcher seems unlikely to employ Amorim's favored 3-4-2-1 setup and will probably deploy a formation similar to 4-2-3-1.
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Burnley
Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Burnley (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Ugarte; Dorgu, Zirkzee, Cunha; Šeško.
Burnley vs. Man Utd Score Prediction
Turmoil and instability surrounds United before their journey to Turf Moor, which doesn't favor their prospects of claiming victory, particularly with numerous key players missing. Nevertheless, they possess a considerably stronger roster and face opponents in terrible form with significant absences of their own.
United should edge past the finish line despite an unconvincing display, with Amorim's departure potentially inspiring certain squad members. We're predicting a slender victory for the Red Devils, not so much due to their strengths but rather reflecting Burnley's weaknesses.