Burnley vs Wolves
Date: 30/03/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Turf Moor
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Burnley will look to get back to winning ways as they welcome a confident Wolves team to Turf Moor.
A win for Burnley could see them jump up to 15th and potentially relegate Huddersfield in the process. Wolves, on the other hand, have made themselves very comfortable in 7th. They are 13 points behind Chelsea in 6th but only one ahead of Watford so their aim will be to now try and win the majority of their remaining games and cement their place as ‘best of the rest’.
Wolves go into this game very much as the side in form. Their most recent fixture saw them knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup and they have also registered a draw away at Chelsea and a victory against Cardiff in their recent league fixtures.
Burnley are coming into this off the back of four straight defeats which has seen them get dragged right back to the brink of relegation. They desperately need to turn their form around but Sean Dyche may have his eye on their upcoming game against Cardiff as the match which will ensure their Premier League status for another season.
Team News
Both Nuno and Dyche have been largely unscathed by the international break when it comes to injuries. Johann Berg Gudmundsson sustained a slight calf injury whilst playing for Iceland so is a doubt.
Steven Defour and Aaron Lennon are Burnley’s only other certain absentees.
Wolves have virtually a clean bill of health with only Ryan Bennett set to miss out as he completes a two-match suspension. Nuno’s side have used a record low of 19 players in the league this season; the only other team to match this feat was Liverpool in 1995-96.
Nuno has shown a dogged commitment to his players and it has paid dividends so far. One such player which is vital for Wolves is Ruben Neves. The midfielder pulls all the strings for Wolves and much of their creative play happens through him.
Intriguingly, he has only touched the ball three times in the opposition penalty area this season, with two of those being penalties. If the other central midfielders, Dendoncker and Moutinho, allow Neves the space to push forward then this could add another dangerous facet to this already accomplished team.
Whilst this has been a largely disappointing season for Burnley one ray of positivity has been the emergence of Dwight McNeil. He has been involved in six goals this season – two goals and four assists. This is the second highest for any teenager in the Premier League – just one behind Fulham’s Ryan Sessengon.
Predicted Starting XIs
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Barnes.
Wolves (3-5-2): Patricio; Saiss, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Jimenez, Jota.
Prediction: Burnley 2 Wolves 1
A tough one to call. Wolves should be too strong for this Burnley side, even away from home. They are on a great run of form and don’t look like stopping any time soon.
Dyche should know that, whilst all points are valuable at this stage of the season, there are other games which are much more attainable when it comes to ensuring their survival. Burnley will be well set up and drilled but Wolves should just have too much for them.
