I wrote this preview before the game against Grimsby. We all know how that went so I don't actually know what to expect from United in this match. Just read it as if that Carabao Cup exit didn't happen 😅.

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The relegation battle is hotting up as United host newly-promoted Burnley at Old Trafford this Saturday afternoon. Forget about Liverpool v Arsenal, this is where it's at.

Amorim's side come into this one off the back of a disappointing draw at Fulham while the Clarets got the 2-0 victory over fellow promoted side Sunderland. Contrast of emotions between the sides.

For United, after having dropped 5 points so far, they cannot afford to be letting go off more. We may not be 15th in the league anymore (praise the Lord 🙌), but we have gone down to 16th 😐.

We gotta be climbing up that table.

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Predicted Lineup

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I see a more conventional side back on the pitch compared to the rotated one at Grimsby on Wednesday night.

Bayindir back in goal, Yoro, De Ligt and Shaw back three, Dorgu off the left with Amad on the right. I don't want to see Dalot anymore because we alreayd have so many defenders and a CDM. That is enough of defenders. Amad will also make us more attacking and at home to Burnley, that's exactly what you want to see.

I don't think it will be a surprise to see Casemiro and Bruno back in midfield although that will make the majority quite unhappy given how they've played so far. Mainoo should be given a chance after his performance on Wednesday. Despite the loss, he was a bright (ish) spark.

The front three needs to start being the new front three of Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko. I don't see any point in wasting more time not playing this trio. We should've seen them by now.

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Approach

After those first two matches, who knows what to expect from this United side. It is very similar to last season and while it is still at the early stages this season, it has been quite disappointing to have not seen much improvement from our worst-ever campaign.

The Arsenal game showed us what we can do but the Fulham game showed us who we are. Burnley at home is a match similar to that of Fulham: United are the favourties, are expected to win and Burnley shouldn't stand a chance.

These are the type of games we struggle in.

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This is why I'd like for Amorim to have as many attackers on the field as possible. I doubt that Burnley will come to Old Trafford and dominate United. If they're smart enough, they will let us have a lot of the possession and frustrate us by putting their whole team behind the ball.

One way United could exploit this is by using the widths. In the opening two matches, Amorim's side did look to move the ball out wide as often as possbile. The Arsenal game in particular saw big switches of play with the likes of Mbeumo, Dorgu and Amad, hugging the touchline so as to make the pitch wider.

Do this and we have a chance of putting balls into the box. This is where a striker like Sesko can make the difference.

With his height and jump, it makes him such a threat in the air. While it may then make sense to chuck as many balls into the box as possible, for United, not so much. I believe we are still a side who don't understand how to play with a striker.

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Everything we do going forward very rarely involves the no 9. When Maguire was brought on at Fulham, only then did we start to see balls fly into the box with the former skipper almost winning it with a late header. It seems that that was the only time the rest of the team realized we have a player who is deadly in the air.

Defensively we're sound but we know that the midfield is the area of concern. With Casemiro and Bruno, it looks like most midfields can play through ours with ease. The skipper in particular was rightfully criticized for his two performances this season. You could say he has been our worst player. This is for someone who the manager has put a lot of faith in ahead of this campaign.

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Form

As we know, United have no form. In fact, we haven't had form for so long we can't even remember what it is anymore.

I'm sure you've all see that stat of Amorim having playing more games (29) than he's won points (28) in the Premier League. He's also only won 7 of those 29 with most of those coming against the sides that got relegated.

I know that that's in the past but ngl, blud has a terrible record as a Prem manager. Apparently it's the same as Neil Warnock.

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More than that, Amorim has failed to win back-to-back matches in the league since he joined. Thomas Frank has managed that in his opening two games as Spurs boss.

United have also technically not scored a goal this season. The one we got at Fulham was an own goal by Rodrigo Muniz, who is our top scorer.

I'm not going to delve into too many more of these stats because it's just going to depress me.

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The good thing is that we generally have a strong record against newly-promoted sides and the fact that we're at home makes me feel more confident that we will get a positive result.

However, as Amorim is on a mission to break all types of (negative) records, you wouldn't put it past him to do so again.

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Burnley

It's hard to judge with promoted sides. As Gattuso said,

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So far in the first two matches, the three sides from the Championship have actually been decent. Burnely have 3 points and are 11th in the table, five spots ahead of United. While they suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Spurs, they did sort of hold their own as they had just 2 attempts at goal and 2 shots on target fewer than Thomas Frank's side.

They then beat Sunderland 2-0 in their last match which will give them confidence going into this one even more so because we're shite.

Scoring goals and winning games. Wonder what that's like 😞.

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On top of this, they have quite a few good players in their side. Former City man Kyle Walker, ex United players Hannibal Mejbri and Martin Dubravka, promising South African (represent) Lyle Foster and the man who's been at the club since they were formed back in 1882, Ashley Barnes.

That is a considerable amount of talent and experience that can no doubt cause us problems.

I find that with Burnley, they are a side that for a club like United, should be a given victory but they always somehow frustrate you, you know? They're just irritating.

I actually had Scott Parker to be the first manager sacked in my PL predictions video. At this point, it looks likelier that Amorim will be gone before him 👀.

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Prediction

No messing about. 2-1 to United.

I'm all for playing like prime Barcelona but I really couldn't care less at this point. Just get the win, build some momentum and confidence before the stupid international break and move up the table.

We know that United are probably going to put in a flat display anyway so what's the point in asking for a great performance?

What's your feeling ahead of game three of the Premier League? Can United and Amorim get their first win of the campaign?

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Leny Yoro | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)

Armando Broja | Image via Burnley official X (@BurnleyOfficial)