Manchester United are looking to make some noise in the transfer window, stealing a big name from under the nose of their city rivals. They could lock up his signature by Saturday, when they head to Burnley, who are trying to stop their slide.
What To Know About Manchester United
Manchester United won 3-0 at home over Stoke City in their last league match as Antonio Valencia, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku all found the back of the net. Paul Pogba pulled the strings in midfield for Manchester United, who look like they’re going to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal as Manchester City pulled out of the race for the Chilean forward. Manchester United might have to send Henrikh Mkhitaryan back the other way, but that would be a small price to pay to land Sanchez, who will give United the wide player that they have been looking for. It would also be huge to get Sanchez because he could play in the Champions League for United, having played for Arsenal in the Europa League. It would take a lot of the pressure off Pogba, who is United’s main creative hub right now. United are still 12 points back of Manchester City in the league, but that doesn’t mean they have to stop trying to catch them.
What To Know About Burnley
Burnley fell 1-0 at Crystal Palace and now they’re seventh in the table, five points behind Arsenal. Burnley are still in a very good place compared to where they were last year in their first season in the Premier League, when they finished 17th. However, they haven’t won since December 12th in a 1-0 home victory over Stoke City in the league, and since then they have lost four games and drawn three. They have basically made sure that they’re going to stay up already, but Burnley has to stop this slide because this type of poor form can snowball easily. If they can take a positive from this recent slump, it is that their best game came on the road at Manchester United on Boxing Day. They took a 2-0 lead before United came back to get a point in a 2-2 draw, but Burnley were the better team for most of the game, definitely in the first half.
Outlook
Manchester United are favored away from home at -200, while Burnley are rated at +600 and a draw comes in at +280. United has three wins and three draws in their last seven meetings with Burnley, who did beat them 1-0 at home in August 2009, but United won 2-0 here last season. United are in pole position coming into this game based on how Burnley has played in the last few weeks, and they could even have Sanchez in the lineup if they sign him soon (don’t depend on that, however). Burnley will try to do what they did at United, which is sit back and absorb pressure, then hit on the counterattack or from set pieces. If United takes their chances, however, this match could be over early.
EPL Betting Pick: Manchester United
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