Manchester United vs. Burnley and Pick to Win
Date:Sunday, April 23rd, 2017
Where: English Premier League Burnley, Yorkshire, UK
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Manchester United 1/2, Burnley 13/2, Draw 16/5
Moneyline: Manchester United -200, Burnley +650, Draw +320
Over/Under Best Market: OVER 2.0 (+110) 11/10
The Red Devils of Manchester will leave Lancashire to travel north to Yorkshire to face off with Burnley in what will be another War of the Roses. Manchester United comes in off what could be the most remarkable victory for them this season when they defeated Chelsea at home defeating them 2-0 at Old Trafford. The Red Army marches into Burnley with 60 points in fifth place behind cross-city rival Manchester City who sit in fourth with 64 points. With a Manchester Derby on the horizon for the Reds, this game is of importance for Jose Mourinho and company as they are looking to secure what should be an easy three points. For Burnley, they cannot be disappointed with their efforts so far. Burnley stands in 14th place with 36 points which for a recently promoted team has to be classed as a great performance be that there is a high level of attrition for promotion teams. Many promotion teams often are promoted to the English Premier League only to discover they cannot compete at the level and fall back down into relegation and ultimately Championship League 1.
Overall Burnley is a tough club to defeat at Turf Moor. You can ask Chelsea about that one. Heading into their meeting with the Blues, Burnley had won their previous seven at home. Burnley has given some of the upper-tier franchises in the English Premier League fits regardless of who came to town. Given the fact Manchester United comes in off a huge win and has yet another huge game coming up next week, the Reds can easily get caught in a snare here as Burnley are once again looking to make a statement when they are on their own pitch. This is a team that gave Manchester City and Arsenal trouble as well when they ventured North to Yorkshire.
The Reds have outscored opponents 6-1 in their last four fixtures and have crafted three clean sheets in their previous four outings. This is a testament to the brick wall defense that skipper Jose Mourinho has assembled in South Manchester. This is a football club that has lost only three games in English Premier League competition this season and have their eyes glued to a Champions League qualification and top-four finish. Needless to say, the stock on this team in through the ceiling as the Red Devils defeated the Blues in convincing fashion. Manchester United could have easily won 4-0 as Chelsea failed to complete one pass in Manchester Uniteds penalty area. Given the fact there is a huge propensity for a huge overreaction, the Reds are set up perfectly for a let-down.
After reviewing the markets and reactions from the public, the draw has the most equity. It is very tempting to hop aboard Burnley outright as a 6.5-1 home pooch but we cant undermine the tactical and strategic prowess of Mourinho heading into this game. However, we have seen Manchester United draw some teams they should have won against already this season, including Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion. The least of the consensus are playing the draw. With this being said, Man United will find themselves in a dogfight here as Burnley has a true home pitch advantage and they play more inspired at home. Given the fact Burnley has won just one game in their previous six outings, this could actually be the perfect time for Burnley to come in off the radar and steal a point from Manchester United if they are caught looking ahead. Nevertheless, Manchester Uniteds offense looked fantastic against Chelsea last week with Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford continuing to emerge as scoring threats from the forward position. Given the fact Burnleys defense has been exposed as a whole, Mourinhos merry men can easily go to town here and thus the OVER 2.0 offers value at above even odds.
Manchester United Recent Form
W Chelsea 2-0
W Sunderland 3-0
D Everton 1-1
D West Bromwich Albion 0-0
W Middlesbrough 3-1
Burnley Recent Form
L Everton 1-3
D Middlesbrough 0-0
W Stoke City 1-0
L Tottenham Hotspur 1-2
D Sunderland 0-0
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: DRAW 16/5 (+320) and OVER 2 (11/10) +110
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