Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways amid the mounting pressure on Ruben Amorim when they welcome Burnley to Old Trafford on Saturday.

The international break is nearly upon us, but before that, Gameweek 3 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will entertain us. The latest round of fixtures kicks off on Saturday, with the action on the day starting with the game between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge before continuing with four simultaneous ties, including Manchester United vs Burnley at Old Trafford.

The pre-season campaign brought hope and optimism among Manchester United fans after they showed promising signs in the Premier League Summer Series. That continued against Arsenal, even though the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat, as they were comfortably the better team on the day.

However, the optimism has disappeared and given way to the feeling of disappointment and dread after two horrendous performances in the past week. While there were some positives in the 1-1 draw with Fulham before Manchester United capitulated, the defeat to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup second round has been the lowest point of Ruben Amorim’s frustrating spell with the Red Devils.

On the other hand, Burnley returned to the Premier League with a 3-0 initiation from Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 1 before bouncing back with an impressive 2-0 win over Sunderland. Meanwhile, unlike Manchester United, the Clarets progressed to the EFL Cup third round after beating Derby County 1-0 earlier this week, thanks to a late goal by Oliver Sonne.

The most recent Premier League clash at Old Trafford saw Burnley come from a goal down to hold Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in April 2024. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester United

Ruben Amorim has no new fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Burnley on Saturday.

Lisandro Martinez is the long-term absentee, with the Argentine international recovering from a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for a few more weeks. Noussair Mazraoui is closing in on returning from a hamstring issue, but he will be back after the international break.

Andre Onana did himself no favours with a calamitous performance against Grimsby Town, and Altay Bayindir will return between the sticks this weekend. Manchester United will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the Turkish international vs Burnley, with Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw forming the central defensive unit.

Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu should continue as the two wing-backs, with Amad Diallo missing out. As for the midfield unit, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes should pair up in the middle of the park. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Mason Mount will complete the numbers in the final third, with Benjamin Sesko being a backup option on the bench.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Bayindir; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Dalot, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Mount; Cunha

Burnley

Like his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Steve Parker has no new issues to worry about ahead of the short trip to Old Trafford. The Burnley manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.

Connor Roberts (knock) is the closest to returning to action, but Saturday’s fixture may have come too soon for him. Zeki Amdouni (ACL), Manuel Benson (Achilles), and Jordan Beyer (knee) are the other players on the sidelines.

Martin Dubravka will retain his spot between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Saturday. The backline should feature Kyle Walker, Hjalmar Ekdal, Maxime Esteve, and Quilindschy Hartman.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Lesley Ugochukwu and Josh Cullen in the double pivot, with the former aiming to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Hannibal Mejbri will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony being the two wide attackers. Finally, Lyle Foster will lead the line for Burnley against Manchester United on Saturday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen; Larsen, Mejbri, Anthony; Foster

Key Stats

• Manchester United have lost just one of their last 25 home games vs Burnley across all competitions (W15 D9), going down 2-0 in January 2020. Of all teams to have visited Manchester United at least eight times in the Premier League, the Clarets are one of three teams to have avoided defeat in more than half (P9 W1 D4 L4), along with Chelsea and Manchester City.
• Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 23 Premier League games against promoted sides (W20 D3) since a 4-1 loss at Watford in November 2021.
• Burnley beat Sunderland 2-0 in Gameweek 2 to end a run of four consecutive defeats in the Premier League. The Clarets have not won successive games since April 2022, while Scott Parker last did so in April 2019 when he was at Fulham.
• Manchester United have lost eight of their last 13 home Premier League matches (W3 D2). Since the start of this run (December 7, 2024), no ever-present team has lost more Premier League matches on home soil (Tottenham Hotspur also losing eight). The Red Devils have failed to win their first two Premier League matches this term (D1 L1). Only three times previously have they gone three without a victory at the onset of a season in the competition, winning the league in two of those seasons (1992/93 and 2007/08), while they most recently did that in 2014/15 (finished 4th).
• Kyle Walker has been on the winning side as an away player six times at Old Trafford in the Premier League, the joint most of any player along with David Silva and James Milner. A win in this game will see him become the sixth player to achieve it with three clubs, having won with Tottenham and Manchester City, along with Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, and Milner.

Player to Watch

Bruno Fernandes

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While Hannibal Mejbri, Jaidon Anthony, and Matheus Cunha were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese international has not been at his best in the early days of the 2025/26 season, and playing him in the middle of the park is not bringing out the best in him. Signing a holding midfielder can change that, but Manchester United may not address the issue in the final days of the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, Fernandes has an impeccable record against promoted sides.

The Manchester United captain has been involved in ten goals in his last eight Premier League appearances against newly promoted teams (G4 A6). The 30-year-old has created 41 chances across those appearances, with nine coming against Burnley in April 2024 despite not assisting in that game. Ruben Amorim will hope his skipper is at the races this weekend to guide Manchester United back to winning ways.

Prediction

Manchester United 2-1 Burnley

The struggles are just not ending for Manchester United, and the speculation surrounding Ruben Amorim has intensified in the last few days. The numbers make for grim reading for the Portuguese tactician, and wins are eluding the Red Devils.

Since the start of April, Manchester United have the fewest points of any ever-present Premier League side (6 – W1 D3 L7). Should Burnley win on Saturday, they will have the same number of points as the Red Devils in the top flight in that time despite only playing three games in the first division this year.

However, while Scott Parker’s men will give Manchester United a run for their money, the home side should clinch a rare victory, with Bruno Fernandes continuing his excellent record against promoted teams. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.