Burnley vs. Man Utd: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

All eyes will be on Turf Moor after the dismissal of Ruben Amorim.
All change at Manchester United ahead of their trip to struggling Burnley.
All change at Manchester United ahead of their trip to struggling Burnley. / Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

Manchester United start the post-Ruben Amorim era with a trip to struggling Burnley.

Amorim was given his marching orders on Monday following the breakdown of his relationship with the club’s hierarchy and 14 months of underwhelming performances. While things have improved sightly this season, the 40-year-old can have few complaints with a win rate of just 38.1% across all competitions.

Ex-United midfielder Darren Fletcher, currently in charge of the U18s, will be on the touchline at Turf Moor, with the Red Devils expected to appoint an interim boss before naming a permanent successor to Amorim.

United have won just one of their past five fixtures and are currently sixth in the Premier League, albeit just three points behind fourth-place Liverpool. Regardless of their managerial situation, they will be expecting victory away at the division’s second-worst club—Burnley are winless in their last 11 and have lost nine of those matches.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the clash.

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What Time Does Burnley vs. Man Utd Kick-Off?

  • Location: Burnley, England
  • Stadium: Turf Moor
  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 7
  • Kick-off Time: 8:15 p.m. GMT / 3:15 p.m. ET / 12:15 p.m. PT
  • Referee: Stuart Attwell
  • VAR: Craig Pawson

Burnley vs. Man Utd Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

  • Burnley: 0 wins
  • Man Utd: 3 wins
  • Draws: 2

Current Form (All Competitions)

Burnley

Man Utd

Brighton 2–0 Burnley - 03/01/26

Leeds 1–1 Man Utd - 04/01/26

Burnley 1–3 Newcastle - 30/12/25

Man Utd 1–1 Wolves - 30/12/25

Burnley 0–0 Everton - 27/12/25

Man Utd 1–0 Newcastle - 26/12/25

Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley - 20/12/25

Aston Villa 2–1 Man Utd - 21/12/25

Burnley 2–3 Fulham - 13/12/25

Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth - 15/12/25


How to Watch Burnley vs. Man Utd on TV

Country

TV Channel/Live Stream

United Kingdom

Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra

United States

USA Network

Canada

fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada, DAZN

Mexico

TNT Sports, TNT Go, Max Mexico


Burnley Team News

Zian Flemming
Zian Flemming is unlikely to feature. / Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Scott Parker is dealing with a brutal list of absentees, although he will be boosted by the return of Lyle Foster and ex-United man Hannibal Mejbri from the Africa Cup of Nations. Whether or not they can feature on Wednesday remains to be seen, but Axel Tuanzebe will be missing against his old side due to international commitments.

There is an array of injury issues elsewhere for the Clarets—Jordan Beyer, Maxime Estève, Connor Roberts and Joe Worrall affecting their backline alone.

Josh Cullen is a major miss in midfield—he’s out for the season with an ACL tear—while Zeki Amdouni is absent with the same injury. Zian Flemming is unlikely to feature up top due to a knock.


Burnley Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd

Burnley predicted lineup
Burnley have so many absentees. / FotMob.

Burnley predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (5-4-1): Dúbravka; Walker, Laurent, Ekdal, Humphreys, Pires; Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Florentino, Anthony; Broja.


Man Utd Team News

Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes could return to the matchday squad. / Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

United are hopeful that Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount can feature in the squad against Burnley, but it appears unlikely that either will start the match at Turf Moor. The Red Devils will definitely have them back for the Manchester derby on Jan. 17.

Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui are all still competing at AFCON and will be unavailable, while the trio of Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are absent through injury.

Fletcher appears unlikely to utilise Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system and will probably field a formation resembling a 4-2-3-1.


Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Burnley

Man Utd predicted lineup
United are still missing key personnel. / FotMob

Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Burnley (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Ugarte; Dorgu, Zirkzee, Cunha; Šeško.


Burnley vs. Man Utd Score Prediction

Chaos and uncertainty engulfs United ahead of their trip to Turf Moor and that doesn’t bode well for their chances of securing victory, especially with so many important players absent. However, they boast a far superior squad and are facing a side in dreadful form and with plenty of absentees themselves.

United should sneak over the line however unconvincing, with the exit of Amorim perhaps galvanising certain members of the squad. We’re backing a narrow triumph for the Red Devils, less as a result of their qualities and more as an indictment of Burnley.

Prediction: Burnley 0–1 Man Utd


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Ewan Ross-Murray
EWAN ROSS-MURRAY

Ewan Ross-Murray is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer who focuses primarily on the Premier League. Ewan was born in Leicester, but his heart, and club allegiance, belongs to Liverpool.