Burnley vs Southampton
Date: 02/02/2019
Time: 15:00
Venue: Turf Moor
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Burnley and Southampton find themselves in extremely similar circumstances heading into game week 25 and with only one goal separating the two sides in the league it will make for an interesting encounter.
Sean Dyche has had a mixed bag of results in recent weeks, ranging from being hammered by Everton 5-1 to grinding out results in and around the relegation zone. Dyche will look to take the positives from their last game in the Premier League against Manchester United, which ended 2-2 with the Clarets perhaps unfortunate to not take all three points.
Burnley have managed five points from their last possible nine furthermore, maintaining a point against Manchester United in their current run of form is incredibly admirable especially from a side supposedly struggling with relegation. Three points is now crucial at this stage of the season and Dyche will see Southampton as an opportunity. While Hasenhuttl seems to have rejuvenated Southampton, weaknesses in his play have been established. This was highlighted especially in the Saints’ last game against Crystal Palace where the solidarity of the midfield and pressing against the press lead to mistakes, which I’m sure Dyche will look to focus on ahead of their encounter.
Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be keen to continue on his good run in the Premier League. His side have picked up seven points from their last possible nine, which compared to their early season form seems almost unbelievable.
While the teams faced have not been to the same calibre as Burnley’s, results against Leicester and Everton cannot be overlooked as both sides will be battling for a place in Europe come the end of the season. Their draw at home to Crystal Palace will be the result in which Hasenhuttl would have wanted to come out better from. This weekend’s fixtures will be incredibly important as Palace, Saints and Burnley all sit on 23 points in the league table so there is a huge opportunity this Saturday for one of the sides to take an advantage in avoiding the drop.
Despite their poor position in the league, Hasenhuttl should not underestimate Dyche’s side as they are unbeaten in their last five in the Premier League and have won more games in the second half of fixtures than they did in the whole of the first 19 games.
The last time the Saints managed to beat Burnley was at home in October 2016, since then Burnley have won twice and there have been two draws between the sides. Their last four games have brandished four goals, and considering their positions in the league a nervy defensively minded game could probably be expected.
A point for the two sides wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. However, I’m sure both managers would both prefer three. The pressure is almost on Burnley though with the Clarets having home-field advantage yet a rejuvenated Southampton will not make it easy.
Team News
Burnley
Whatever Dyche has been doing in the changing room recently has definitely worked as his players are definitely firing on all cylinders after their dreadful start to the season. One of the key players at the minute is Chris Wood. The New Zealander has scored three goals in his last five games and will be eager to secure Burnley their third successive home win.
Another piece of news that will excite Burnley fans is the availability of Robbie Brady who has recently returned from injury. However, Matt Lowton will miss the game due to a broken toe and Steven Defour remains a doubt for the fixture.
The deadline day signing of Peter Crouch will surely be a morale boost for the team and the fans yet Saturday’s game may be too soon. The Englishman is not only good banter off the pitch, but he has also proven to be a menace on the pitch. Gaining 42 caps for England and scoring 22 goals is no mean feat and he’s only the third striker after JimGreavesves and Gary Lineker to have a better ratio than one goal every two games.
This statistic may have been set a few years ago but the ability is not lost, and after Stoke had been relegated, his prowess was noted by Dyche and he believed he would be a good addition to the squad – time will tell.
Southampton
Southampton will bolster a fully fit squad for their game against Burnley barring their two longer term injuries in Bertrand and Lemina, however, both players have been reported to have returned to training. It will be an interesting affair when these two come back from injury though as the side has been playing extremely well without them with two Englishmen in James Ward-Prowse and Matt Targett especially impressing. Pierre Emile Hojbjerg will be available for Saturday’s clash despite suffering a cut to the head in their mid-week clash against Crystal Palace.
Southampton did not sign anyone in the January transfer window this year. This can either symbolise the full trust of the players by manager Hasenhuttl or the lack of trust of Hasenhuttl by the board. The Southampton board is notorious for selling on players for a net profit after either developing or scouting players, but the departure of Les Reed was symbolic in a potential change for the Saints. If Hasenhuttl stays over the summer it will be interesting to see what happens in the way of transfers in and out and how the board will react to the gaffer’s potential requests.
Potential Starting XIs
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Barnes
Southampton (5-3-2): McCarthy; Valery, Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard, Targett; Hojbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Ings, Redmond
Score Prediction: Burnley 1-1 Southampton
Both sides have been on very good form recently and their recent encounters suggest a goal-filled game is not what is in store. A nervy performance from both teams may result in a game with slightly less attacking intent and more focus on not conceding resulting in a potential draw.
