Manchester United faces Burnley at Old Trafford, seeking their first win of the 2025-26 season after a slow start. Casemiro expresses confidence in new signing Benjamin Sesko. Burnley, buoyed by a recent win, looks to challenge United’s strong home record. Key players to watch include Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United and Josh Cullen for Burnley. Opta predicts a 68% chance of a Manchester United victory.
Manchester United is under pressure to ignite their 2025-26 campaign, with a crucial home fixture against Burnley at Old Trafford looming on Saturday. After a disappointing start to the season, securing their first three points is paramount for Ruben Amorim’s squad.
The Red Devils find themselves in unfamiliar territory, currently winless after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in their season opener, followed by a frustrating 1-1 draw against Fulham where they surrendered a one-goal advantage. Midweek, the situation worsened as they suffered an unexpected exit from the League Cup at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town. The match ended 2-2 after normal time, leading to a dramatic penalty shootout that concluded 12-11, with both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo missing crucial spot-kicks.
Historically, Manchester United has rarely started a league season this poorly. Only three times prior have they failed to win their first three league matches. However, in two of those instances (1992-93 and 2007-08), they remarkably went on to lift the Premier League title. The last time they faced such a start was in 2014-15, a season where they ultimately finished fourth.
Their struggles at Old Trafford have been particularly concerning. They have lost eight of their last 13 Premier League home games, managing only three wins and two draws. This poor home form, dating back to December 7 of last year, places them among the worst-performing ever-present Premier League sides in home matches, tied with Tottenham for the most home defeats.
Onana can’t keep out Burns’ effort. Mbeumo’s hits the bar.
The Reds exit the Carabao Cup.
Grimsby:
United: pic.twitter.com/BP7uptPA2v— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 27, 2025
Amidst the challenges, the spotlight has turned to new signing Benjamin Sesko ahead of Saturday's clash. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has voiced his confidence in the young forward, stating, “It’s clear he has quality. He is a player who is going to be very important for us. I hope that it goes really well for him, because if it goes well for him, he’s scoring goals for us! I’m sure he’s going to help us a lot with goals.”
Meanwhile, Burnley enters the match on a positive note, having secured their first points of the season with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Turf Moor, courtesy of goals from Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony. Following their league win, Scott Parker’s team continued their winning form by defeating Derby County 2-1 in a second-round EFL Cup tie on Tuesday.
Parker expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance, stating, “So, overall, I’m really pleased, generally pleased. Positives are some minutes in the legs [against Derby]; the boys will be in a better place for that and then pleased obviously to win the game as well. As always, this is a long season ahead, like every season we’re going to need every single individual, every single player was here really.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes boasts an impressive record against newly promoted teams, having been involved in 10 goals in his last eight Premier League appearances (four goals, six assists). The Manchester United captain has created 41 chances in these matches, including nine against Burnley in April 2024, although he didn't register an assist in that particular game.
Burnley – Josh Cullen
Appointed as Burnley’s captain upon their return to the top flight, Josh Cullen delivered a captain's performance in their home opener against Sunderland. He not only broke the deadlock with a superb goal but also provided the assist for Anthony's goal. Cullen has played every minute of the two league games and is contributing with goals and assists.
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN
Manchester United holds a dominant home record against Burnley, having lost only once in their last 25 encounters across all competitions (W15 D9), with that defeat occurring in January 2020. In the Premier League, United is unbeaten in their last 23 matches against newly promoted sides (W20 D3) since a 4-1 loss at Watford in November 2021.
Burnley defender Kyle Walker has a strong track record at Old Trafford, having won six Premier League away games there, a feat matched only by David Silva and James Milner. A victory this weekend would make him only the sixth player to achieve wins there with three different clubs, having already done so with Tottenham and Manchester City. The current list includes Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, and Milner.
For Burnley boss Parker, his sole previous Premier League visit to Old Trafford as a manager resulted in a 1-1 draw with Fulham in May 2021. Interestingly, English managers have won their last two league matches at Old Trafford — Eddie Howe with Newcastle United and Graham Potter with West Ham, both securing 2-0 victories last season. However, a run of three consecutive away wins at Old Trafford by English managers has never occurred in Premier League history.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Manchester United – 68%
Draw – 18.3%
Burnley – 13.6%