(Football news) After a disappointing defeat against Middlesbrough which resulted in Manchester United crashing out of the fourth round of the FA Cup, Ralf Rangnick’s team will now turn their attention to the Premier League. The Red Devils are currently fourth in the league table, one point ahead of fifth place West Ham and will hope to finish in a Champions League spot by the end of the season. Burnley on the other hand are at the bottom of the Premier League table with only 13 points and one win from 19 matches.

Burnley played out a goalless draw against Watford on Saturday and desperately needs points to ensure survival in the Premier League. Sean Dyche’s team have lost eight of their 19 games played so far but have two games in hand on both Newcastle United and Watford. The Clarets have sold Chris Wood to the Magpies in the January transfer window but have managed to bring in Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg. Manchester United have a good record against Burnley, having defeated them in each of their last three encounters and the last time the Clarets defeated the Red Devils was in August 2009 with a 1-0 win. 

Manchester United will hope to retain their fourth spot in the Premier League and maintain a gap with West Ham. The Red Devils’ only hopes for a trophy are in the Champions League and the possibility of winning Europe’s elite club competition seems far-fetched to say the least. Qualification for the Champions League for next season is the only realistic aim Ralf Rangnick’s team can hope to fulfill which means winning games against teams like Burnley are an absolute must. Manchester United have 19 points from 11 away matches so far and remain unbeaten on the road since their 4-1 defeat to Watford which led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking.

Josh Brownhill is back from suspension for Burnley and is expected to feature in the starting lineup. The Clarets will be missing Matej Vydra and Johann Berg Gudmundsson, while Ashley Barnes and Charlie Taylor remain doubtful against Man Utd. Sean Dyche could select Jay Rodriguez alongside Weghorst while Maxwel Cornet could be accommodated for a wider role. As for Manchester United, Fred and Alex Telles will be unavailable after testing positive for COVID-19, Victor Lindelof remains doubtful due to illness while Eric Bailly (ankle) and Mason Greenwood (suspension) remain sidelined. Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes are expected to feature in the starting lineup while Rangnick has confirmed that Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani are back in the squad. David De Gea and Anthony Elanga are expected to come back into the starting XI while Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw will also start.

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