Burnley vs Aston Villa
Date: 01/01/2020
K/O: 12:30
Venue: Turf Moor
Referee: Michael Oliver
Turf Moor’s first match in the 2020s will be one contested between two sides in claret and blue, as Burnley host Aston Villa at Turf Moor.
The Clarets come into the tie off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United, something which Sean Dyche will be looking to rectify against Villa. Dyche’s men haven’t been in the greatest form as of late, losing three of their last five and they find themselves in 13th place, right in the mix of one of the closest Premier League mid tables of recent years.
Burnley came back twice to draw 2-2 in their last encounter with Villa as a late Chris Wood strike silenced Villa Park, which had only erupted for John McGinn’s goal minutes beforehand. Since then, both sides have had mixed fortunes, and neither have picked up the consistent results that their fans would have been hoping for.
The importance of this game is quite apparent for the Burnley faithful, as they have a tough run of fixtures on the horizon. Games against Chelsea, Leicester, United and Arsenal loom ahead, meaning Dyche’s men will be hopeful of getting some more points on the board against Aston Villa before encountering their January fixtures.
One man who may not be with Burnley for those fixtures is Danny Drinkwater. The former England international has had a disappointing loan spell from Chelsea, to say the least, making only two appearances so far this season. He will have a keen eye on Burnley’s upcoming fixture against Villa, as they are one of the teams keen on securing his services in January.
Frustration grows in the Villa camp, as four defeats in five have firmly put them in a relegation scrap. Despite many fans expecting a relegation fight before the season started, calls for Dean Smith’s head are now commonplace amongst the Villa faithful. There is no arguing that defeats to relegation rivals Watford and Southampton must ring alarm bells for the Villa owners, who’s ambitious vision for Aston Villa’s future seems to be collapsing in front of them.
The January transfer window has been long coming for Smith, who will need to find a replacement for last season’s club player of the year McGinn, following his ankle injury. A new striker, winger and centre back are all being called for by the Villa faithful after some of Smith’s summer signings have failed to impress. Villa have been linked with the likes of Pedro, Drinkwater, Jared Bowen and Domagoj Vida, however, after spending £130m in the summer, Villa’s owner’s hands may be tied as to how much they can spend.
For now, a result at Turf Moor would certainly relieve a little pressure off Smith, who faces another two away games in quick succession, this time in both domestic cup competitions. The Villa fan turned manager will be desperate to turn his boyhood club’s form around before he too joins the likes of Mauricio Poccetino and Unai Emery on the unemployed manager’s list.
Team News
Burnley
Robbie Brady and Johann Berg Gudmundsson could feature after their second-half appearances against Manchester United whilst Ashley Barnes is a doubt following a groin issue.
Aston Villa
Smith will be hoping for the return of Tyrone Mings to sure up Villa’s leaky defence. Keinan Davis could feature, after recovering from his hamstring issue. Matt Targett suffered a hamstring injury against Watford, meaning Neil Taylor may be set to start his first league game in four months.
Predicted Starting XIs
Burnley (4-4-2): Pope; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Rodriguez
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Heaton; Taylor, Mings, Hause, Guilbert; Luiz, Hourihane, Grealish; Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Wesley
Score Prediction: Burnley 3-0 Aston Villa
After two defeats on the bounce, Dyche will want to get points on the board before a tough run of fixtures. Aston Villa look like a side in freefall and have a terrible away record. This looks as if it’s only going to go one way.
