Manchester United v Burnley: Clarets can make their mark

Jose Mourinho’s men may have recorded a narrow EFL Cup win over their city rivals but there could yet be some value in opposing the red half of Manchester for a few games to come.

The home side are being offered at just 2/9 (1.17) with Ladbrokes to pick up maximum points as they welcome Sean Dyche’s men to Old Trafford. The draw is priced at 11/2 (6.50) while the Clarets are massive outsiders at 16/1 (17.0), by far the biggest price available on the Premier League coupon this weekend.

Despite a place in the League Cup quarter finals, there are serious issues at Manchester United and being against them in some way could pay dividends until the evidence is available that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss is getting the best out of his expensive squad.

The 15/4 (3.80) quote on Burnley and Draw (Double Chance) at Ladbrokes is perhaps a step too far but the defensive issues shown by the home side could provide an better option for punters looking to find a value selection.

United’s backline has been less than sturdy in recent weeks. Not only were they brutally exposed in the 4-0 drubbing at Chelsea but the absence of Eric Bailly – certainly one of the shrewder summer signings – makes them look particularly vulnerable. The Ivorian is set to miss at least two months after picking up a serious knee injury.
The obvious caveat to this is that Burnley have hardly been impressive themselves on the road since promotion to the top flight. The visitors have only scored once in their three games away from Turf Moor but that did come at Southampton, one of the best defences in the division.

Futhermore, the previous two shutouts came at Leicester and Chelsea, who at the time, looked far more defensively assured than Saturday’s opposition.

Dyche’s side have been growing in confidence, having beaten Liverpool and Watford already this season, they dispatched Everton 2-1 with a late winner last weekend. A result that will surely fill them with confidence coming into a game where, in truth, they have nothing to lose.

United have conceded at least once in five of their previous six Premier League matches, the only exception being Mourinho’s decision to “Park the Bus” against Liverpool at Anfield and the home crowd will certainly be expecting a more free-flowing performance from the Reds in this one.
That could open the door for Burnley and while far from spectacular, their organisation should mean they create some chances at Old Trafford.

Both teams to score looks an interesting option at 7/4 (2.75) but given that the visitors have kept things tight themselves the best option could well be backing Burnley simply to score (over 0.5 team goals) at 6/4 (2.50) with Ladbrokes.

Having not had a midweek cup game, Dyche’s men should be well prepared for this illustrious trip and given that they scored in their trips to Chelsea (1-1), Manchester City (2-2), Manchester United (3-1) and Tottenham (2-1) in the 2014/15 season, there could be some value in backing the Clarets to make their mark.

Check the latest odds at Ladbrokes here