Burnley vs Liverpool Match Preview and Expert Prediction

Burnley	vs	Liverpool
	Kick off: 15:00 Date: Sat, 20-Aug-16

TEAM NEWS

Burnley's club-record signing Steven Defour may make his debut in place of departed midfielder David Jones, who has joined Sheffield Wednesday.

Jon Flanagan is on loan from Liverpool, and therefore ineligible, while Ashley Barnes is out with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge and James Milner are in contention after returning from respective hip and ankle problems.
Sadio Mane is doubtful after suffering a shoulder injury in training.
Philippe Coutinho is fit to play, having been substituted at Arsenal because of cramp rather than injury, while Joel Matip and Lucas Leiva are available after recovering from hamstring problems.

 MANAGERS OPINION

Burnley manager Sean Dyche on the signing of Steven Defour: "In the Premier League world, the numbers that get bandied around seems really small. But for us, they are actually big for a club like Burnley.
"For us, it's a big thing to spend millions of pounds. For others, it's just like, 'park that, let's move on and get another one in'. That's the vast difference in the market.
"He [Defour] knows it will be a challenge for us. He's not coming in thinking we will be rolling around the top three all season.
"He knows it will be a challenge and he wants to be part of that."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on criticism of Alberto Moreno's display at Arsenal: "Alberto could have done better but I don't really understand what we are talking about.
"Maybe I should read more newspapers but I have no idea what we are talking about. The world is not satisfied with our left-back?
"Football is a game you cannot play without making mistakes. Ask goalkeepers and central defenders; when they make a mistake it often leads to a goal, but they have to carry on and we do too in the work we do."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Liverpool have won all four of their previous Premier League games against Burnley, scoring 11 goals without reply.
• The Clarets' last league win over Liverpool was a 1-0 victory at Anfield in September 1974.

Burnley

• Burnley have failed to score in eight of their last 10 matches in the top flight, and are goalless in their last five Premier League home games.
• Defeat to Swansea last weekend was the Clarets' first league loss in 2016 - ending a 23-match unbeaten streak.
• The last time they lost back-to-back league games was during their most recent spell in the top flight, when they suffered four consecutive defeats between April and May 2015.

Liverpool

• The Reds have only kept two clean sheets in their last 12 league games, conceding 17 goals in total.
• The last time the Reds failed to score in a Premier League game was in a 2-0 defeat by Leicester on 2 February.
• Liverpool have scored four goals or more in five Premier League games this year, more than any side.
• Simon Mignolet could make his 200th Premier League appearance in this match, becoming the third Belgian to reach this milestone after Marouane Fellaini and Vincent Kompany.
• Sadio Mane has scored nine goals in his last nine appearances in the Premier League.
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  Missing Players

  Player	Reason	Status
  Ashley Barnes		Out
  Jon Flanagan		Out
  Stephen Ward		Doubtful

  Player	Reason	Status
  Loris Karius		Out
  Sheyi Ojo		Out
  Joel Matip		Doubtful
  Mamadou Sakho		Doubtful
  Joseph Gomez		Doubtful
  Marko Grujic		Doubtful
  Lucas Leiva		Doubtful
  Sadio Mané		Doubtful

  Team News

  Burnley

  • Sean Dyche could hand club record signing Steven Defour his debut on Saturday, particularly after David Jones, who started last weekend, was sold.
  • Jon Flanagan is ruled out due to the terms in his loan agreement from Liverpool.

  Liverpool

  • Daniel Sturridge and James Milner are back in contention after overcoming their own fitness concerns and could slot straight into the starting XI. Sadio Mane is expected to miss out on Saturday after hurting his shoulder in training during the week, while Alberto Moreno should be dropped after a poor performance against Arsenal last time out.
  • Jurgen Klopp will still be without Lucas, Loris Karius and Shey Ojo, while Joe Gomez, Marko Grujic, Mamadou Sakho and Joel Matip remain doubts.

  Match Facts

  There have been under 2.5 goals scored in Burnley's last 14 games (Premier League).
  Burnley have failed to score in 8 of their last 10 matches (Premier League).
  Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in their last 4 matches against Burnley in all competitions.
  Liverpool have won their last 4 matches against Burnley in all competitions.
  There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of Liverpool's last 7 away games (Premier League).
  Liverpool are undefeated in 9 of their last 10 matches (Premier League).
  Burnley have failed to win their last 5 home matches (Premier League).

  Prediction

  • Burnley's return to the Premier League ended in a 1-0 defeat to Swansea. They will now welcome Liverpool, against whom they have a torrid record. They haven't scored in any of their last four meetings and have conceded 11 goals in the process.
  • Liverpool smashed four past Arsenal to open their account last Sunday and will be in confident mood ahead of their trip to Burnley. Jurgen Klopp's men should be targetting another emphatic win

  LIVERPOOL WIN -FINAL VERDICT