Manchester United will head to Burnley on Tuesday night knowing that a point against the Clarets would move them above Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are currently second in the division, level on 33 points with the reigning champions, while Burnley occupy 16th, having picked up 16 points from their 15 matches in 2020-21.
Match preview
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Burnley will enter Tuesday's contest in good form, having won three of their last four matches in all competitions, including a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in their last league game on December 29.
Sean Dyche's side were due to face Fulham on January 3, but a coronavirus outbreak in the London club's squad meant that the fixture had to be postponed.
The Clarets were in FA Cup action against MK Dons on Saturday, though, and needed penalties to overcome the League One outfit after a 1-1 draw; Burnley were actually heading for a surprise defeat on home soil, only for Matej Vydra to come up with a 94th-minute leveller, forcing extra time in the process.
Dyche's team have picked up 16 points from their 15 league matches this season to sit 16th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone; they have won three of their last four Premier League fixtures at Turf Moor, meanwhile, overcoming Crystal Palace, Wolves and Sheffield United.
Goals have been a real issue for the club during the 2020-21 campaign, though, with just nine scored in their 15 league matches, which is the second-worst record in the division behind Sheffield United.
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United, meanwhile, will enter Tuesday's contest off the back of a 1-0 win over Watford in the FA Cup, with Scott McTominay's early header sending the Red Devils into the fourth round of the competition.
Solskjaer's side suffered a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup on January 6 but have been in excellent form in the league, winning eight of their last 10 matches to rise into second.
Back-to-back victories over Wolves and Aston Villa, coupled with dropped points for Liverpool, means that United are level on points with Jurgen Klopp's side, and a draw or victory at Turf Moor would see them take the lead ahead of next weekend's huge game between the top two at Anfield.
Solskjaer was under huge pressure earlier this season, but United are now being viewed as possible title contenders, and January could be a key month with clashes against Liverpool, Fulham, Sheffield United and Arsenal to come before a home game against Southampton on February 2.
The Red Devils recorded a 2-0 victory at Burnley in the corresponding game last season, but the Clarets ran out 2-0 winners when the two sides last locked horns in January 2020 at Old Trafford.
Burnley Premier League form: DWDWLW
Burnley form (all competitions): WDWLWW
Manchester United Premier League form: DWWDWW
Manchester United form (all competitions): WDWWLW
Team News
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Burnley are hopeful that Nick Pope can recover from an ankle injury in time for Tuesday's contest, but Will Norris is on standby if the England international does not prove his fitness.
Dwight McNeil also has a chance of returning from a groin problem, but Charlie Taylor, Jay Rodriguez and Kevin Long are all expected to remain absent for the Premier League clash.
Neither Josh Brownhill nor Ashley Westwood was involved against MK Dons but should return to the XI here, while Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood are set to continue in the final third of the field.
As for United, Solskjaer revealed after Saturday's game with Watford that Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw were all injured for the FA Cup fixture rather than rested.
All three, in theory, could return for Tuesday's game, but Eric Bailly faces a battle to prove his fitness, having suffered a neck injury in a collision with Dean Henderson during Saturday's fixture.
Phil Jones and Facundo Pellistri are still out while Marcos Rojo remains a huge doubt, but Edinson Cavani has now served a three-game suspension and is in contention for a starting spot.
There will be wholesale changes from the clash with Watford, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, David de Gea and Fred all coming back in, but Alex Telles and Axel Tuanzebe could yet keep their spots depending on the fitness of Shaw and Lindelof.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; McNeil, Westwood, Brownhill, Brady; Barnes, Wood
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Pogba, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
We say: Burnley 0-2 Manchester United
Burnley's recent home form must be respected, but United have been excellent on their travels this season, winning six and drawing one of their seven matches, and we fancy Solskjaer's side to put another victory on the board ahead of next weekend's top-of-the-table clash at Anfield.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United win with a probability of 66.09%. A draw had a probability of 19.8% and a win for Burnley had a probability of 14.09%.
The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United win was 0-2 with a probability of 11.68%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (11.24%) and 1-2 (9.8%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.43%), while for a Burnley win it was 1-0 (4.53%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Manchester United would win this match.
