Burnley vs Manchester United

Turf Moor forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Premier League encounter between Burnley and Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest’s second-half equalizer in a 1-1 away draw earlier this week denied Vincent Kompany his first managerial triumph in the Premier League, keeping his Burnley side winless after the opening five rounds. But their day-two trip to fellow newcomers Luton Town has been postponed due to ongoing work to bring Kenilworth Road up to Premier League standard. The ‘Clarets’ have lost their remaining three league games via multi-goal margins and a combined score of 11-3, losing to Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Tottenham, in that order. With each of those three defeats arriving at Turf Moor, it’s understandable fans are growing frustrated. However, they should brace themselves up for another stuttering weekend, considering this fixture hasn’t been kind to Burnley down the years, with just two H2H wins since 1968.

Manchester United’s H2H dominance against Burnley is perhaps the only saving grace for the troubled visitors after losing four of their opening six competitive matches into the new campaign for the first time since 1986/87. Ominously for manager Erik ten Hag, the last United boss to oversee such an underwhelming start didn’t last until Christmas. Frustration boiled over at Old Trafford last weekend, as Brighton knocked the ‘Red Devils’ down from a 31-game unbeaten home run across all competitions with an emphatic 3-1 win, condemning Ten Hag’s side to a third two-goal margin defeat in four league outings (W1). Man Utd’s long-standing travel sickness doesn’t bode well either, with the three-time European champions losing both away league games this term by an aggregate score of 5-1.