Premier League: Manchester United vs Burnley - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Manchester United will hope to rediscover the spark they showed against Arsenal when they open the Old Trafford doors to Burnley this weekend. NZ betting sites are expecting the hosts to win, but the reality is, there is no free meal in the Premier League. 

Burnley lost 3-0 to Tottenham in their opening match, though they put up a commendable display against the Lilywhites. They defeated Sunderland in their last match and come into this fixture higher on the table than Sunday morning’s hosts.

Join us as we preview this match and identify the best betting opportunities across regular and live betting sites.

Manchester United

Manchester United hoped for a fresh start this season under Ruben Amorim, but so far, the ghosts of their past continue to haunt them.

Against Arsenal, they played some encouraging football, but failed to make anything of it. The Red Devils couldn’t break down the Gunners backline and suffered a 1-0 loss at home. 

Their trip to Craven Cottage didn’t go the way United had hoped either. Bruno Fernandes uncharacteristically missed a penalty and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir created the only big chance for them in the match. In the end, they had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate.

Team News: Benjamin Sesko is expected to make his first start in the Premier League after two second half cameos.

Predicted Lineup: Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Diallo, Fernandes, Casemiro, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko.

Burnley

In the Sean Dyche years, Burnley used to be a no-nonsense defensive unit. This season, Premier League fans are seeing a new brand of football from Burnley under Scott Parker. They are not afraid to play more expansive, attacking football, no matter the opposition. 

This could be a suicidal approach in the top-flight, and that’s why football betting sites have Burnley down as one of the likeliest team to be relegated this season. 

But they produced a more balanced display against fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland. Daniel Ballard’s injury handed Burnley an early advantage, and the Clarets made sure Sunderland never recovered as they secured the win.

Team News: Armando Broja returned to the XI in the EFL Cup match against Derby and assisted Aaron Ramsey’s opener. He should expect to start on Sunday.

Predicted Lineup: Dubravka; Walker, Esteve, Ekdal, Hartman; Cullen, Laurent; Tchaouna, Edwards, Anthony; Broja.

• Manchester United have lost only once in their last 25 home matches against Burnley. 
• Burnley have avoided defeat in more than half (five of nine) of their trips to Old Trafford in the Premier League. 
• Two of the last three United vs Burnley matches in the Premier League ended in draws.

Manchester United have a good record against newly-promoted sides. They have won 20 of their last 23 matches against these teams and drawn the remaining three. 

United don’t seem to be in great shape at the moment, but if they were to circle a fixture for the full three points, they wouldn’t have found a better pick in their opening round of Premier League fixtures than this one. 

We have another encouraging stat for United fans heading into this tie. Burnley have not won consecutive Premier League games since April 2022. Scott Parker’s record is even worse! The Burnley boss last won back-to-back matches in the English top-flight in April 2019. 

So, we’re confident Manchester United will be able to win this match, but we expect goals flying on both ends.

Matheus Cunha to Score First Goal @ 6.00

Matheus Cunha was arguably the liveliest attacker in the first two Manchester United matches of the season. The ex-Wolves man has four on-target shots, which is more than any other United player. We expect Cunha to draw first blood and reward his backers with a 6x return on Bet365.