The Premier League returns to action and with it the hopes of Burnley fans who desperately want to see their club move out of the relegation zone. However, they must defeat a spirited Stoke City side, who have their own hopes of climbing the table, at the Britannia on Saturday.
Stoke are currently sitting in ninth place but are only three points off the top four. Should they win against Burnley and other results go their way, they may find themselves in contention for the Champions League places. This is one fact that will not be lost on the team and surely their prime motivation against Burnley.
Sean Dyche will be happy that his side recently picked up their first victory of the campaign but accepts that they still have a lot of work to do if they are to ensure their Premier League survival. While it will be tough for Burnley on Saturday, the manager hopes that their underdog status will inspire them to victory.
Team News
Stoke still have several long term injuries in their squad. Phil Bardsley, Robert Huth, Dionatan Teixeira have yet to find out when they can return to action, while Peter Odemwingie’s season is most likely over. Glenn Whelan could return soon but this weekend will come too early for him.
On-loan Chelsea player Nathaniel Chalobah is still missing for Burnley, while Sam Vokes and Matthew Taylor are also unable to feature for the club in this game.
Interesting Statistics
Stoke haven’t lost to Burnley in the last six meetings between the sides.
They have only allowed Burnley to score two goals in that time.
Burnley haven’t managed to win any of their last five away matches in the league.
They have also conceded at least two goals in each of their last three away trips.
Key Players
Stoke City – Jonathan Walters
Walters may not be the most prolific of strikers but he has had a fairly good career at Stoke and has become one of their top players. The Irishman has made seven appearances in the forward position for Stoke so far this season and has scored two goals. According to Squawka.com, he has attempted six shots at goal and has got half of these on target. He has managed to create six chances for his team mates and one of these resulted in an assist for him. One area where Walters is usually quite strong is in his duels. This season, he has won three of the four tackles he has attempted and successfully taken on opponents six times from nine attempts. However, most likely due to his height, he has only won 21 of his 48 aerial duels and this brings his overall duel success percentage down to 50%. He can be a threat for Stoke and Burnley’s weak defence will have to look out for him.
Burnley – Danny Ings
Choosing a key player for Burnley is never easy but Ings, despite his form, is one of their better players and the one who has the potential to upset Stoke on Saturday. He has made eight appearances for Burnley this season and has scored one goal for the club. According to Squawka.com, he has only managed to get 28% of his 18 shots on target and despite creating seven chances for his team mates, he has yet to create an assist. He does have a 75% passing accuracy but in contrast with Walters, Ings has only been successful in 32% of his overall duels. Ings’ problems up front have to be put in context with Burnley’s attacking problems. If he can improve his form starting with Stoke this Saturday, then there is no reason the rest of the team can’t do the same.
Betting
Given Stoke’s past record against Burnley, it’s fair to assume that they could end up with another clean sheet this weekend. If you think this could happen, why not take odds of 2.20 with Tailorbet? You can place the bet here: http://goo.gl/mfi26I
Prediction
Burnley got their first win of the campaign in the last round of fixtures but they face a tough challenge against a Stoke side who are in reasonably good form, and as the Potters are at home, I can’t look beyond them for the victory. I think it will finish 1-0 to Stoke.
