Manchester United might have gained three points on leaders Manchester City last week but they remain 12 points off the pace in the Premier League as they head to Burnley on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's side have started 2018 well, with three wins out of three and a trio of clean sheets to boot, but with their title aspirations seemingly turned to dust it has been their transfer pursuit of Alexis Sanchez which has caught the greatest attention so far this year.
They return to the field at Turf Moor looking to back up their good form against a Burnley team who are going through their worst run of the season.
MAN UTD INJURIES
Michael Carrick may well be back in consideration for this weekend's fixture having returned to full training during the Red Devils' week of warm-weather training in Dubai, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains unavialble due to the continuing effects of his ACL damage.
Marouane Fellaini could make a first start in two months after making two substitute appearances, but Eric Bailly is out due to ankle surgery.
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MAN UTD SUSPENSIONS
Ashley Young returns for United having served a three-man ban for his misdemeanour against Southampton over the holiday period, elbowing Dusan Tadic in an off-the-ball incident.
MAN UTD POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Mourinho is unlikely to make too many changes to the side which beat Stoke City 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday, although there should be a recall for first-choice left-back Ashley Young in place of Luke Shaw.
Marcos Rojo could also be recalled, with Chris Smalling or Phil Jones stepping aside but otherwise the Portuguese boss will not alter too much. Jesse Lingard should continue in the number 10 role while Juan Mata has done nothing to suggest he deserves to be left out.
Mourinho may try to make space for Marouane Fellaini to slot in but it won't be at the expense of Nemanja Matic or Paul Pogba if the Belgian does start.
BURNLEY TEAM NEWS
Sean Dyche's Burnley have been one of the surprise outfits of the Premier League season so far, but despite clinging on still to seventh place they are currently experiencing a slump in form.
The Clarets have failed to win any of their last seven games in league and cup competition since Ashley Barnes struck a late winner against Stoke City on December 12, with United's late comeback for a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Boxing Day being the closest Burnley have come to collecting three points since then.
Their solidity has been upset of late due to a string of injuries, with Tom Heaton, Matt Lowton, Stephen Ward, Robbie Brady, Chris Wood and Scott Arfield all spending time out with various ailments. But that only serves to underline the incredible endurance of midfield pair Steven Defour and Jack Cork, who have started every single Premier League together at the heart of the Clarets' midfield. Cork, in fact, has played every single minute in an impressive campaign.
Burnley's games haven't typically been free-flowing this term, with only 39 goals scored in their 23 matches so far (19 for, 20 against).
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TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
The match at Turf Moor kicks off at 15:00GMT on Saturday, with no live coverage available in the UK due to blackout restrictions.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
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Burnley have won one of their last 24 matches against Manchester United in all competitions (D10 L13), a 1-0 win in the Premier League in August 2009.
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Robbie Blake’s strike in that 1-0 win is the only goal the Red Devils have conceded in their last nine visits to Turf Moor in all competitions, keeping eight clean sheets.
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Burnley haven’t lost three consecutive home Premier League games since April 2010, when they lost four in a row under Brian Laws.
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22 years ago today (20th Jan), Manchester United were 12 points behind league leaders Newcastle after both sides had played 23 games, before going on to win the league in May. They currently sit 12 points behind leaders Manchester City after 23 Premier League games.
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The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last five away Premier League games (W4 D1), scoring at least twice every time. It’s their longest run of scoring at least twice in consecutive Premier League away games since a run of six between October and December 2013.
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This will be Sean Dyche’s 100th Premier League game in charge – the last three managers whose 100th game in the competition came against Manchester United have all won (Mick McCarthy with Wolves in Feb 2011, Roy Hodgson with Fulham in March 2009 and Steve McClaren with Middlesbrough in Feb 2004).
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Paul Pogba has provided nine assists in just 13 Premier League games this season; no player has recorded more than the Frenchman, with four of these assists coming in his last two appearances.
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