The first game of Man United's post-Ruben Amorim era begins with a trip to strugglers Burnley.
Darren Fletcher becomes the latest club legend to step into the breach on an interim basis, although his old teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is poised to takeover for the rest of the season.
Against Scott Parker's injury and AFCON affected side, Fletcher has a perfect audition for the role if a deal for the Norwegian isn't yet inked in (the bookmakers think otherwise as Fletcher has drifted to 14/1). The Clarets are winless in their last 11 games, picking up just two points in that time.
Can Fletcher kick off with a win or will Burnley add to United's Premier League woes? AllSportsPeople brings you our complete betting preview for the match.
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Burnley vs. Man Utd Prediction: Who Will Win?
Before we give our prediction for the game, let's look at the managerial record of Darren Fletcher — the 'interim' boss until the club confirms a caretaker for the rest of the season.
| Darren Fletcher Record | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Man United Under-18's | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 |
This might be Fletcher's first-ever game in senior management but he could hardly have picked a more suitable opponent to stake his claim for the rest of the season.
With the likely new manager bounce that we have seen under previous legends and the switch to four at the back, United's quality should prove too much for a struggling and injury-hit Burnley side.
A rare clean sheet may also come for the new man in the dugout.
Score Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Man United (13/2 with Bet365)
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Head-to-Head: Burnley vs. Man United
- The two clubs have met on 93 occasions with United holding the win advantage 43 to 30.
- Burnley won their first-ever Premier League era home game against United in August 2009 but have not beaten them at Turf Moor since.
- Bruno Fernandes scored the winner in the club's last meeting back in August as well as on United's last trip to Burnley in September 2023.
Burnley vs. Man United: Form Guide
Burnley – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Brighton 2-0 Burnley (Premier League)
- Burnley 1-3 Newcastle (Premier League)
- Burnley 0-0 Everton (Premier League)
- Bournemouth 1-1 Burnley (Premier League)
- Burnley 2-3 Fulham (Premier League)
Man United – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Leeds 1-1 Man United (Premier League)
- Man United 1-1 Wolves (Premier League)
- Man United 1-0 Newcastle (Premier League)
- Aston Villa 2-1 Man United (Premier League)
- Man United 4-4 Bournemouth (Premier League)
Burnley vs. Man United Betting Tips
We've put forward three betting angles for tonight's game:
- Given our 0-2 score prediction, both teams not to score is the obvious first tip here. That is 23/20 with SpreadEx.
- With a low-scoring affair also tipped, under 2.5 goals looks solid at 23/20 with AK Bets.
- It would be typical for Benjamin Sesko to end his drought in the first game post-Amorim. He is 6/4 with Paddy Power to score anytime.
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Burnley vs. Man United Team News, Injury List
Burnley Team News
- To add to Parker's woes, he is without nine players at the moment due to injury and Africa Cup of Nations duty.
- The potential return of Maxime Esteve to the defence would be a big boost to the struggling side.
Man United Team News
- Fletcher confirmed in his first press conference that Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount are fit but the United captain is more likely to start — albeti with 'restricted minutes'.
- Fernandes will probably come in for Leny Yoro as United move away from 3-4-3 and into a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.
What formation will Darren Fletcher play?
Caretaker manager Fletcher has a few options at his disposal for how to set up United at Burnley in the wake of Amorim's departure. We think there's two main ones for him to choose between — in both cases, we've picked Bruno Fernandes alongside an alternative depending on whether he is fit to start.
3-4-2-1: Keep change to a minimum
Lammens
Yoro, Heaven, L. Martinez
Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes/Ugarte, Shaw
Dorgu, Cunha
Sesko
The simplest option available to Fletcher is also maybe the most complicated. Sticking with Amorim's 3-4-2-1 setup he used for most of his time in charge would require the least amount of change to the tactical approach given the short period of time to prepare.
However, this option would also be the most questionable (with both the fans and Jason Wilcox?) Given the stark lack of results that Amorim's tactics brought United. Would sticking with his methods even after his departure really be the best way forward?
4-3-3: Wilcox's preference
Lammens
Dalot, Yoro, L. Martinez, Shaw
Fernandes/Mount, Casemiro, Ugarte
Dorgu, Cunha, Sesko
The most likely formation under Fletcher is a 4-3-3, the system reportedly favoured by director of football Jason Wilcox, but there are significant problems with this given the absences for the club.
We're not 100% sure that Mason Mount or Bruno Fernandes are fit to start, and so there would need to be some serious shuffling if none of them can find a way onto the pitch. If needed, Lisandro Martinez can step up into midfield, or Joshua Zirkzee can play as a number 10 in front of Casemiro and Ugarte.
Burnley vs. Man United Lineups: Predicted Starting XI’s
This is how we think the two teams will line up at Turf Moor with Bruno Fernandes returning to the Man United lineup and Maxime Esteve coming back in for Burnley.
Burnley predicted lineup to play Man United
Dubravka (GK) – Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Pires – Ugochukwu, Florentino, Laurent – Edwards, Broja, Anthony
- Out: Cullen, Amdouni, Roberts, Worrall, Flemming, Beyer (all injury), Hannibal, Tuanzebe, Foster (AFCON)
- Doubtful: Esteve
- Suspension: N/A
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Man United predicted lineup to play Burnley
Lammens (GK) – Dalot, Heaven, Martinez, Shaw – Ugarte, Casemiro, Fernandes – Dorgu, Cunha, Sesko
- Out: Maguire, De Ligt, Mainoo (all injury), Mazraoui, Amad, Mbeumo (all AFCON)
- Doubtful: Fernandes, Mount
- Suspension: N/A
Burnley vs. Man United Odds
- Burnley to win: 4/1 with AK Bets
- Man United to win: 8/11 with Coral
- Draw: 16/5 with Spreadex
Bet Builder Tips: Burnley vs. Man United
Our bet builder for Burnley vs. Man United is an away win, both teams not to score, Benjamin Sesko to score and under 3.5 cards. That came in at 18/1 with Paddy Power at the time of writing!
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Next Man United Manager Odds: Who is the favourite?
Before we dive into the odds, it's worth noting bookmakers had different rules. For example, Ladbrokes are paying out on any manager who takes charge of 10 games, while Bet365, Betfair and Paddy Power have been trading on who will be the manager at the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
That's why there was a shortening of the books on offer once reports broke Solskjaer was set to sign. If he is confirmed today, betting will reopen on who will be in the dugout at the start of next season.
| Next Man Utd Manager | Best Odds |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 87/100 |
| Michael Carrick | 8/1 |
| Oliver Glasner | 17/2 |
| Darren Fletcher | 14/1 |
| Gareth Southgate | 16/1 |
*Odds accurate as of 09:15 on 07/01/2026.
Burnley vs. Man United TV Channel, Live Stream
- Date: Wednesday, January 7
- Venue: Turf Moor, Burnley
- Time: 20:15 GMT
- TV/Stream: Sky Sports / Sky Go