BURNLEY VS LIVERPOOL: PREVIEW

Liverpool travel to Turf Moor on Sunday to take on Sean Dyche’s struggling Burnley. The Reds beat Leicester City 2-0 last time out whilst Burnley held Manchester United to a spirited 1-1 draw. Here’s a preview of the game.

Liverpool could once again be 12 points behind Manchester City before they play, with the champions travelling to Norwich City a day before the Reds square off against the Clarets. It’s hard to crank the pressure up on them when the fixtures almost always has them playing first.

Whilst the Reds battle it out at the top, Burnley on the other hand prop up the table. It’s been a very tough season for Sean Dyche’s men. They are in a very precarious position at the minute, lying 4 points off safety but crucially with two games in hand.

They still retain the battling qualities that has been their hallmark under Dyche with their last game enough proof of that. They came from behind to hold United to a well earned draw. It was the Clarets’ third consecutive stalemate after goalless draws against Watford and Arsenal.

They have been hard to break down as usual, with their tally of 28 goals conceded only bettered by seven sides in the division. With a defensive record like that, there can only be one reason why they’re languishing bottom of the table.

Going forward, Burnley have been woeful. They’ve only scored 17 goals in 20 league matches, with fellow strugglers Norwich the only other side to have hit the back of the net on fewer occasions.

Burnley have shockingly won just the one league game all season, beating Brentford 3-1 way back in October. It’s been a truly grim season, with their inability to find the back of the net seeing them draw a staggering 11 matches, with 5 of those ending goalless.

They have tasted defeat 8 times this season, fewer than any team in the bottom half of the table. Sean Dyche will know his side can escape relegation if they add goals to the side. The sale of Chris Wood and the capture of Wout Weghorst could well help in that regard.

The 6 ft 6″ Dutch giant has started off well and could prove to be a handful on Sunday. They could also do with Maxwel Cornet staying fit, with the Ivorian their topscorer despite playing just 11 league games.

The Clarets are always unpleasant to play against, especially at Turf Moor. Jürgen Klopp will be well aware that to win against Burnley, you first have to win the physical battle. The Reds will be confident of getting the job done as they come into this in good form.

Klopp’s side have now put together a five match winning streak, conceding just two goals in that run. They also come into this with a full strength side as they seek to chase down Manchester City in the title race.

It’s been a season of goals for Liverpool with their tally of 60 after 23 league games the most goals they’ve ever scored at this stage of a Premier League season. Mohamed Salah leads the way with 16 strikes, with teammate Diogo Jota not far behind on 12.

In the reverse fixture between these two sides back in August, Liverpool battled to a 2-0 victory with a Jota and Mané strike either side of halftime getting the job done. It was a small slice of revenge after the Clarets ended the Reds’ proud 68 game home unbeaten run last season.

That 1-0 win at Anfield is Burnley’s sole victory over Liverpool in the last ten meetings. Liverpool have won on five of their last six trips to Turf Moor and will be looking to make it six out of seven on Sunday.

Team News

For Liverpool, it’s a full available squad with Sadio Mané returning to team training on Friday. The gaffer also confirmed Gomez and Origi were fit but missed out on the squad on Thursday due to the sheer depth available at the minute.

For Burnley, Matej Vydra (hernia), Johann Gudmundsson (stomach) and Charlie Taylor (foot) are all ruled out. Maxwel Cornet is fit however and is expected to start, either on the left wing or up top alongside Weghorst in Sean Dyche’s 4-4-2.

Key Players

Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian came on for half an hour on Thursday and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. He looked as lively as ever in that cameo and will likely start here. Expect him to be heavily involved as he seeks to extend his lead as the league’s topscorer.

Maxwel Cornet

The Ivorian has proved a hit in his first season in England, scoring more than a third of Burnley’s league goals. He is the most expensive signing in the Clarets’ history and is currently their topscorer with 6 league goals in 11 league appearances (9 starts).

Diogo Jota

The Portuguese international made it 17 goals for the season with a brace against Leicester City. He’s in sizzling form right now with 5 goals in his last 4 appearances. The truth of the matter is he’s been in sizzling form since he joined from Wolves two years ago.