High-flying Burnley make the short trip to Manchester to take on United in the Carabao Cup. George Gamble selects a best bet for the clash.
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany travels to Old Trafford as manager of Burnley and his reformed side will be hoping they can pull off an upset by securing passage to the quarter-final of this competition at the expense of Erik ten Hag’s men.
Manchester United will be without a number of key players for this clash due to the World Cup and it’ll be interesting to see who occupies the spots in the back four.
They’ll be all too aware of the threat the visitors pose considering they have conceded against the Clarets in all of the previous five meetings at this venue, but they’ll be confident they can claim victory even with a few star players absent.
Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Wednesday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
This clash between Manchester United and Burnley is an enticing one given the circumstances. The hosts will inevitably be weakened with a number of their players returning for the World Cup and their makeshift backline will undoubtedly be tested here.
The Red Devils have kept just five clean sheets across their 14 league matches played this season, whereas this new look Burnley side are the top scorers in the Championship, by some distance too.
Vincent Kompany’s side have hit the back of the net on 46 occasions in the Championship this season, an average of exactly two per game and the boss will be hoping that his men can continue a trend as they have successfully scored in each of their prior five visits to this stadium.
The visitors will feel they have a chance here and can make a statement by not only winning, but dominating the ball against the Premier League outfit.
Across both the top flight and the second tier of English football, the Clarets rank third for average possession per match and it’s testament to the brand of football that Kompany wants to play.
For all the positives, Burnley have been a little bit suspect defensively on the road and have conceded in eight of their Championship away matches.
With match sharpness still likely being a contributing factor, the quality of the forwards of Manchester United irrespective of World Cup absences and both sides being anything but watertight at the back, BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE looks a likely contender and is the standout selection.
Manchester United v Burnley best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Both Teams to Score at 17/20 (William Hill)
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct at 1810 GMT (19/12/22)
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