Man United vs Burnley Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Manchester United’s start has been less “project reboot” and more déjà vu. The 1-1 draw with Fulham reopened old wounds and confirmed what most fans already feared. This side can look like complete strangers the moment any real pressure is applied. They only scraped a point because Fulham could not finish their dinner, and when Emile Smith Rowe finally levelled, it felt like the most obvious ending in the world.

Midfield remains the glaring weakness Amorim has failed to solve, one that even the bar conversations can agree on. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are still being asked to cover the workload of three players, while Kobbie Mainoo watches on. Amorim has already shown a preference for Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte, which leaves Mainoo as little more than a fourth choice. Nothing screams long-term planning quite like benching your brightest young midfielder in favour of recycling-tired legs.

And when the midfield does not function, the attack suffers. Fernandes ballooned a penalty over the bar and then spent the rest of the game arguing with the referee. Bryan Mbeumo runs until his lungs give out, but rarely gets support. As for £73m Benjamin Sesko, “nowhere near fit” might be the kindest description available, which says plenty about United’s cutting edge right now.

Burnley always has a return to the Prem every other year, and this one isn’t the fairytale, even though their Championship run was just that. They run a lot, they fight a lot, and then they usually find a way to undo all of it. One win over Sunderland and a performance that deserved a point against Spurs, though ended in a loss, looks respectable on paper, but scratch the surface and you see a team that collapses as soon as pressure actually matters.

Scott Parker insists on doubling down with possession-based football after years of Sean Dyche antics, which sounds brave until you watch it. The Clarets can put together a neat triangle or two before inevitably handing the ball straight back and sprinting the other way. Bravery without results is not a philosophy; it is a relegation strategy dressed up as ambition. Burnley’s best hope is to weaponise irritation, because style points will not keep them up.