Next Wednesday, 11th of February 2015, an inconsistent Manchester United will entertain the relegation-threatened Burnley at the emblematic Old Trafford for round 25 of the English Premier League. The Red Devils need to return to wins after their last weekend’s slip up and a match against an opponent that in theory is fairly more modest could present a good opportunity for them to grab the three points.

Manchester United have once again left a very pale image of themselves on their visit to Boleyn Ground last weekend. The Red Devils managed, nevertheless, to snatch a last minute lucky draw against a West Ham side that was fairly superior for large periods of the match. Another vintage performance by the young Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea allowed United to grant a point on a match where, although they enjoyed from more ball possession, they failed to pose a serious threat to the Hammers’ goalie, Adrian.

The home side scored first after an excellent effort from Kouyate right after the break but they ended up by conceding the equalizer on the 92nd minute of the match, when the versatile Dutch defender Daley Blind placed a lost ball inside Adrian’s net.

Van Gaal’s recent conservative approach is proving to be fairly unimpressive and the team’s game quality has decreased significantly. Falcao and Robin Van Persie’s forward line partnership keeps proving to be quite ineffective while United’s defence line keeps relying on De Gea’s super goalkeeping skills to save the day.

For the upcoming fixture against Burnley at Old Trafford, Louis Van Gaal will not be able to rely on the contribution of Luke Shaw, who is currently suspended, and he is not yet certain if Michael Carrick will recover from his injury in time.

As for Burnley, things are currently not easy for the Clarets, as they fourth from bottom with just one point more than Hull City, who are the first team below the relegation line.

Last weekend, however, Burnley managed to put an end to their recent losing streak by snatching a 2-2 home draw against West Brom. The Clarets had a good first-half and on the 32nd minute they were already winning the match by 2-0. Nevertheless, a late goal from Brunt just before the break gave West Brom a valuable lifeline and affected the Burnley’s initial enthusiasm for good.

Although the Clarets have managed to steal points from United in the first half of the season, it is not very likely that they will be able to do the same when they visit Old Trafford next Wednesday.

Manchester United

Stats: W-3 L-0 D-2

Recent Form - DWWDW

Burnley

Stats: W-1 L-3 D-1

Recent Form - DLLLW

Possible Line-ups

Manchester United (3-5-2) – De Gea - Jones -  Blind - Rojo - Valencia - Fellaini - Di Maria - Mata - Rooney - Falcao - Van Persie

Burnley (4-4-1-1) –Heaton - Trippier - Keane - Shackell - Mee - Boyd - Marney - Jones - Arfield -  Ings - Barnes

Prediction

Manchester United 3 Burnley 1