Rijo Sam Daniel
Team News: Latest Manchester United and Burnley squad update ahead of the Premier League clash tonight
The club’s official website has provided fans with the latest team news for Manchester United and Burnley ahead of their Premier League fixture tonight. The clash takes place at Turf Moor as both teams look to get all three points for their respective reasons.
United are currently 4th in the table, leading West Ham United by 1 point with the Hammers having played one game more than us. Burnley, meanwhile, are rooted at the bottom of the table with just 1 league win all season. As for the game tonight, both teams aren’t without their selection headaches.
Man United have a couple of concerns leading up to this game as both Fred and Alex Telles have contracted Covid-19. The duo is set to miss the game as a result, which comes as a big blow to Ralf Rangnick. Victor Lindelof was out with an illness last week, while Eric Bailly also missed out, having suffered an ankle issue during the African Cup of Nations.
Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes had picked up fitness issues during the loss to Middlesbrough, but they are expected to return to the matchday squad. Raphael Varane is declared fit despite getting subbed off last game, whereas David De Gea will be in contention after being rested in the previous fixture. Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani have returned after being allowed leave in the previous match.
Three points a must!
Sean Dyche’s side has issues of their own as Matej Vydra, Charlie Taylor, and Ashley Barnes are doubts for the match today. Johann Berg Gudmundsson is out on the stands with an appendix issue, whereas dynamic playmaker Josh Brownhill has returned to the mix. They have also had unknown players test positive for Covid in the build-up to this match.
We cannot let up in our pursuit of a top-four finish, which means that three points are essential at this stage in the season. It would not be easy, though, since the Clarets are gearing up for a survival battle in the rest of this campaign.
The absence of Telles would be concerning as it would leave us only with Luke Shaw on the left-hand side. Fred would be missed, but the return of Paul Pogba gives us a much-needed boost in that regard. The availability of Lingard, Cavani, De Gea, Sancho and Fernandes would be a boost in terms of quality and depth further up the pitch.
It is still unknown whether Bailly and Lindelof would feature in the league clash or not. Nevertheless, we have ample options across the pitch to meet our needs even if the defensive duo does not make it in time for the game. Despite seeing Donny van de Beek in January, we are also pretty well stacked in midfield when it comes to picking the starting XI.
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We are more or less at our full strength for this game when it comes to having your best players available for the game. As for Burnley, Vydra and Barnes’ potential absence may not bother them as they have signed Wout Weghorst this January to make up for Chris Wood’s exit.
Regardless of their fitness problems, United would be expected to beat the bottom-placed team in the league every day of the week. But we were expected to beat Middlesbrough last week too, and we all know how that went. That serves as a reminder that we cannot drop our intensity for even a single minute and must be at our best to beat the Clarets tonight.
