Match Preview: Manchester United vs Burnley

Manchester United vs Burnley | Premier League | Old Trafford | KO 16:00 | Sky Sports

After sailing through to the UEFA Europa League semi-final in midweek, Manchester United now play host to Burnley on Sunday afternoon, knowing that the Premier League is no longer a priority in their season, having near enough confirmed a second placed finish.

Should United win on Sunday, they will move to 63 points, 8 behind leaders Manchester City, who do, unfortunately, seem slightly too far ahead to be caught by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, so the Europa League must now be a priority for The Reds, as it represents a huge opportunity for silverware.

How do Manchester United look?

Marcus Rashford was only fit enough to make the bench in the victory over Granada on Thursday, due to a persistent injury that he has been battling for some time.

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However, United boss Solskjaer seems optimistic that his flying winger will be able to make it for the visit of The Clarets.

Speaking ahead of the match, the manager said “Marcus, obviously, we’ve had to rest this week. Hopefully he can play. We’ll do a test with him the day before the game”.

Eric Bailly, who has missed the last few matches due to a positive COVID-19 test, is expected to be available, but is unlikely to displace Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf, who have formed a strong partnership in recent times.

Maguire, Scott McTominay, and Luke Shaw are all up for selection again, having been suspended in midweek, and will all most probably head straight back into the starting eleven, thanks to their fine individual form.

There are no new absentees going into this one, with Phil Jones and Anthony Martial remaining unavailable for the rest of the season.

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Dean Henderson is expected to regain his number one spot, after he was given the night off in Europe in the week, whilst there will be interest as to who leads the line, following Edinson Cavani’s goal against Granada.

Opposition: Burnley

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Sean Dyche’s side have found themselves in a somewhat surprising relegation battle this season.

They currently sit 17^th, just seven points from safety, having won just one of their previous five matches.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope missed their last match and is a doubt for the clash at Old Trafford; if he misses the game, it will be a huge blow for the away side.

Speaking ahead of the match, the Burnley boss said “Ashley Barnes, Robbie Brady and Kevin Long will miss it (the match)”, whilst Dwight McNeil may be out with a knock he took in training.

Key Stats

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Manchester United enter the match in fine form, having won each of their last four in all competitions, compared to Burnley, who have won just one of their last eight in all competitions.

Burnley won their last visit to Old Trafford 2-0, and are unbeaten in their last four trips to The Theatre of Dreams.