Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking to avoid an upset at Sheffield United on Thursday, although the Manchester United manager expects shock results will continue for the rest of the campaign.
Manchester United could be as many as six points outside the top four by the time they kick-off at Bramall Lane, but Solskjaer's men are not the only big club struggling.
Arsenal are way off the pace, Manchester City's standards have slipped and even Chelsea, apparent title contenders, are falling down the table after back-to-back defeats.
Solskjaer believes these problems are due to the packed schedule in this unique coronavirus-affected season, meaning there is no reason for the trend to end.
"It's a sign of the Premier League and the quality of the so-called lesser teams," Solskjaer said. "There's no easy game in the Premier League. The top teams in the last few seasons, they've just had the knack of winning tight games instead of drawing them. With the tight schedule and whatever is happening in people's lives, I think yes, we'll see this throughout this season.
"Whoever gets a midweek rest might have a big advantage, because if you play midweek every week, it's hard to keep everyone 100-per-cent sharp."
Sheffield United have not made the most of the wavering form of the elite teams, however, as they sit bottom of the pile with just a single point.
"My full focus is on trying to turn around the results that we've got, which haven't been good enough and leave us in the position that we are in," manager Chris Wilder said. "I have to get on with it, which is something that I personally have not done as well as I should have been doing, and the players have not done as well as they should be doing, getting results for this football club regardless of how tough it is."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sheffield United – John Egan
The Blades have suffered in attack this season, but their defence was similarly poor in the previous defeat to Southampton. They must be better against a Manchester United side who have scored at least twice in a record-equalling nine straight Premier League away games. Egan will hope to marshal that back line far more effectively.
Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes
This would appear an occasion for Fernandes. He has featured in four Premier League games against teams starting the day in the relegation zone, scoring four and assisting four to average a goal involvement every 43 minutes. The midfielder has either scored or assisted in 11 of his 12 Premier League away games (11 goals and six assists in 985 minutes). Fernandes has been involved in a goal every 58 minutes in away Premier League games, the best ratio of any player with at least 500 away minutes played.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- Since winning their first ever Premier League match against Man United on the opening day of the competition in 1992, Sheffield United are winless in their past seven against the Red Devils (D1 L6).
- Sheffield United have lost six of their past seven home league games, as many as in their previous 30 at Bramall Lane (W20 D4 L6). The Blades have not lost four in a row at home since April 1965.
- Victory for Manchester United would see them become only the fourth side in top-flight history to win 10 away league games in a row, after Tottenham (10 between April and October 1960), Chelsea (11 between April and December 2008) and Manchester City (11 between May and December 2017).
- Manchester United have won all five of their Premier League away matches this season, despite conceding the first goal each time. No side has ever won six away games after conceding first in a single Premier League season, with Aston Villa in 1993-94 the only other side to win five (from 21 games).
- Sheffield United are one of only four teams in the history of English league football to have one point or fewer after 12 games of a season; the others are Manchester United in 1930-31 (zero in top flight), New Brighton in 1931-32 (one in Third Division North) and Newport County in 1970-71 (one in fourth tier).