Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur
Date: 23/02/2019
K/O: 12:30
Venue: Turf Moor
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Craig Pawson
Two sides in superb form meet at Turf Moor on Saturday lunchtime, with Burnley hoping to mute Spurs’ title challenge and give themselves a foothold in the relegation battle.
Burnley are unbeaten in seven Premier League games, picking up 15 points in this six-week period, and the Clarets will be eager not to let this run end; especially after ending Manchester United’s 100% record under Solskjaer a couple of games ago – a game which they were agonisingly close to winning.
With just three points separating Burnley from the bottom three, a loss on Saturday could potentially leave them in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend. However, an unexpected victory would be a massive boost for Sean Dyche’s men and would bring their points tally up to 30 – enough to put them in 13th place depending on other results, ahead of the rest of the relegation pack. This match therefore becomes pivotal for Burnley ahead of two crucial fixtures against fellow relegation battlers Newcastle and Crystal Palace on the horizon.
Burnley have been fortunate to possess an array of top-class goalkeepers over the last few years and, with Tom Heaton back between the posts and on top form, they have become a hard nut to crack. Tottenham have not been as free-scoring this season and could it find difficult to put the ball past Heaton unless their finishing is on-point.
But Spurs should be fresh and ready to take the fight to Turf Moor, with a well-earned ten-day gap between this match and their Champions League victory against Dortmund. Their last four league games have ended up in victories, despite the absences of Alli and Kane, the latter of whom has returned to training and may be eligible to play on Saturday after his ankle injury.
A victory for Tottenham would put them two points behind both Liverpool and Manchester City, with the Reds facing Manchester United the day after, while the Citizens will remain on 65 points as they play Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday. Thus, Spurs have a huge opportunity to force themselves right into the heart of the title race and put the pressure on Liverpool to get a result against a rejuvenated United side.
However, anything other than a win would be a huge disappointment for the Lilywhites, especially since their next games feature Chelsea, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund all within a week of each other. Spurs will need to keep their heads in gear to get through this tough period unscathed and a loss against Burnley could certainly knock their confidence.
Team News
Burnley have no new injuries to worry about. Aaron Lennon picked up an injury in mid-December while facing his old club in the reverse fixture, and will remain unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Steven Defour, who hasn’t played since the start of December, will possibly make an appearance against Spurs, but Dyche will favour the team that has been picking up the points in their recent run of games.
As mentioned earlier, the possible return of Harry Kane to the Spurs squad will be music to the ears of the Tottenham fans, while the home fans will consider his return as rather untimely from their point of view. Since the forward is back in action a little earlier than expected, it is probable that he will start on the bench.
Ben Davies has also returned to training, but may be rested until the end of the month to ensure he is fully recovered before playing. Dele Alli will also be unavailable until March with his hamstring injury.
Predicted Starting XIs
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Barnes
Tottenham Hotspur (4-1-2-1-2): Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks; Sissoko, Eriksen; Lamela; Son, Llorente
Score Prediction: Burnley 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1
This is a tricky match to predict since it is far from an easy fixture for the away side, especially with Burnley in such great form. A draw is certainly not an unlikely outcome, but Spurs should have enough determination to grab the three points, even if they have to really fight for it.
