- Tom Carnduff's 25/26 tipping record: P/L: +31.58pts | ROI: 27% | Staked: 116.5pts | Returned: 148.08pts
Football betting tips: Premier League
1.5pts Over 6.5 Manchester United corners at 13/8 (bet365, Betway)
1pt Over 9.5 Manchester United corners at 8/1 (bet365, Sky Bet)
We're back in familiar territory.
Another failed post-Ferguson appointment at Manchester United sees them mid-season and without clear direction on what their next move will be.
Ruben Amorim was sacked on Monday following an explosive rant in the immediate aftermath of their away draw with Leeds. A man who wanted to be the manager of Manchester United and not just the coach now finds himself as neither.
This seems to have been building behind the scenes for a while. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox were aligned on one vision, Amorim had his sights set on another - there's a case where you can say that both parties were probably incorrect.
Combine this with the fact his overall time in the dugout has been far from good enough and it was clearly going to end in this way.
They could still fluke the top four given the struggles of other big hitters (Chelsea were another to sack their head coach while doubts are there surrounding Arne Slot at Liverpool) and they are in the FA Cup, but the likelihood is we'll see another campaign where nothing significant happens.
Step forward, Darren Fletcher, the latest in line to the throne. The under-18s manager takes caretaker charge and supporters will be hoping it's more Ole Gunnar Solskjær than Ralf Rangnick.
There's not too many better first games than Burnley. Scott Parker's side sit 19th in the Premier League table having gained just two points from their last possible 33. That is not a typo.
Who knows, this could be the game in which the Clarets are forced into making a change of their own.
We obviously have to use a bit more guesswork than usual when it comes to this game. Just what United team we will see remains unclear but there's a good chance Fletcher will want to implement his own style having had a couple of days on the training ground.
That should mean a change to the set-up of his under-18s side. Goodbye to the much discussed back-three as the visitors line up in either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3.
Wingers and full-backs will be key while they will look to break forward quickly when the opportunity arises. The problem they may face is a Burnley side who won't engage, their own set-up focusing on frustration.
If Fletcher can get his ideas across then that could lead to CORNERS, with 13/8 on OVER 6.5 and 8s on OVER 9.5 FOR MANCHESTER UNITED.
A formation change should see United playing with two wide players on each side in attack, with the full-back requiring to overlap and support a winger in possession.
We could therefore see plenty of crosses as they aim to surround Benjamin Sesko with a bit more support. If Burnley are looking to defend, they'll take deflecting it behind and dealing with a corner given United's lack of aerial threat.
Burnley have been good to oppose in this market anyway, with their opponents averaging 5.7 corners taken in their home games this season.
Add in the potential uplift for United's players (Fletcher KNOWS THE CLUB after all) and we should see a complete attacking performance from the visitors. They may well score a few but I'll side with the corners.
Odds correct at 10:45 GMT (06/01/26)
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