Yesterday, in his side’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba distributed wrist bands with a message combating racism.
“I think we have the chance to have this power to show things in football, on TV,” Pogba said of the wrist bands that he himself produced. “People see it so I think that will make people understand some things. I think it’s ignorance. Ignorance and stuff like that, and just to show people that you are all one. We are all one.”
Hopefully, his message is heard and then taken to heart, because this season has seen just an epidemic of deplorable racist incidents. It feels like we’re talking about a new one every single week! In turning to the Saturday slate of games, hopefully they will transpire without any more incidents!
United will travel to Burnley FC and it remains to be seen whether or not Pogba will start. He went 45 minutes yesterday, in the Boxing Day win. Last weekend, he came on midway through the second half in the loss to Watford. It was his first action since Sept 30, as he’s been nursing foot and ankle injuries.
We think he’ll get a first team assignment, especially so with Scott McTominay now out. We think Andreas Pereira will make the first team for this one too.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Burnley FC
Martial
Rashford Pereira James
Fred Pogba
Shaw Lindelof Maguire Wan-Bissaka
De Gea
Manchester United at Burnley FC FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday Dec 28, Turf Moor 7:45pm
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Form Guide: Manchester United- WDWWD Burnley- LWWLL
Google Result Probability: Manchester United 52%, Draw 26%, Burnley FC win 22%
Prediction: Manchester United 1, Burnley FC 0
United are just four points off the pace of the top four, but they have no chance of getting there unless they consistently play against the mid and lower table sides in the same way they do against the big boys.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.