Burnley vs Manchester United Prediction 07.01.2026 | Premier League

After earning an unwanted reputation as a “yo-yo” club over recent seasons, Burnley are enduring another turbulent spell following their return to the Premier League, finding themselves rooted in 19th place with just 12 points collected from 20 matches, firmly below the relegation line.

Despite their bleak league position, the Clarets are not yet cut adrift, sitting only six points adrift of safety, which makes the upcoming January schedule absolutely critical to their survival hopes. However, fortune has hardly smiled on Scott Parker’s men, as the first month of 2026 presents a daunting run of fixtures, including home clashes against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, alongside a daunting trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.

Adding to their mounting concerns is Burnley’s alarming lack of form, with the Lancashire outfit now winless in 11 consecutive Premier League outings, a miserable sequence stretching back to October and yielding just two draws alongside nine defeats.

The situation is further compounded by an extensive injury list and international absences, with key figures such as captain Josh Cullen, defensive regulars Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts, as well as forward Zeki Amdouni, all sidelined through injury. 

Matters scarcely improve on the availability front, as Maxime Esteve and Joe Worrall remain fitness doubts for the Manchester United encounter, while Axel Tuanzebe, Hannibal and Lyle Foster are unavailable due to their involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations.

After enduring their bleakest domestic campaign of the 21st century last season, limping to a dismal 15th-place finish, Manchester United have shown clear signs of recovery in the 2025–26 campaign. However, despite visible progress, lingering inconsistency continues to undermine their ambitions of mounting a genuine challenge for a top-four finish.

That lack of stability ultimately came to a head over the festive period, when a frustrating sequence of results prompted decisive action from the club hierarchy. Consecutive 1–1 draws against relegation-threatened Wolves and Leeds United, arriving on the back of an unconvincing 1–0 victory over Newcastle, proved to be the tipping point. Those performances sealed the fate of Ruben Amorim, with Darren Fletcher stepping in as interim manager in an attempt to steady the ship.

United’s struggles to convert promising spells into sustained winning runs have largely stemmed from a fragile defensive unit that has repeatedly failed to stand firm under pressure. The Red Devils have managed to keep just one clean sheet across their last 13 Premier League outings, underlining a back line that has been far too porous to support a consistent push up the table.

Further compounding Fletcher’s early challenges is an alarming injury list, with no fewer than eight first-team players set to miss the clash with Leeds. Influential captain Bruno Fernandes headlines the absentees, alongside Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount, all sidelined through injury and leaving United severely weakened across the spine of the team.

To make matters worse, attacking depth has been stretched even thinner by the absence of key wide men Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who are currently away on international duty with Cameroon and Ivory Coast respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.