Verdict: Correct Score – Draw 0-0
Best Odds: 6/1
Bookmaker: 888sport
Everton are on a mission to improve their woeful away record in the Premier League but doing so against Burnley at Turf Moor of Saturday will be easier said than done despite the hosts’ struggling form.
Burnley
The Clarets are going through a dreadful run in the Premier League at the moment. Burnley are without a single win in their last 11 outings in a run that stretches all the way to early December 2017.
Sean Dyche has done a fantastic job with his squad this season. However, with Clarets coming off the back of the most recent slump in form, Burnley’s European dream is slowly starting to fade away. The Clarets are sitting in seventh place in the standings, eight points adrift of Arsenal in sixth. Still, being slotted safely in the top half of the table there is no real reason to feel disappointed. Dyche’s men will attempt to make it two out of two against Everton, having beaten the Toffees 1-0 at Goodison earlier in the season. In order to repeat the feat on home turf, the Clarets will need all the help they could get.
Team News
Tom Heaton is nearing full fitness and could be handed his first competitive appearance since September.
Chris Wood is back from a knee injury and will also be in contention this weekend but the Everton game certainly comes too soon for Scott Arfield, James Tarkowski, Steven Defour, Jonathan Walters and Robbie Brady.
Everton
The 1-0 defeat at the hands of Watford last weekend came as a heavy blow for Everton who were just beginning to show the signs of recovery under Sam Allardyce.
The experienced tactician did manage to lift the spirits at Goodison and help Everton shift up from the second gear but is struggling to find the right formula to solve the problems away from the home ground. The Toffees are coming off from a five-match losing streak away from home which included a pair of heavy blows – 4-0 at Tottenham and 5-1 at Arsenal, respectively. With their latest slump against Watford last week, Everton are left three points away from their Sunday’s rivals. Allardyce’s men will be keen to make a push up from the ninth in the standings but putting an end to the dreadful away run will be easier said than done.
Team News
James McCarthy is out for the season after that broken leg during last month’s clash against West Bromwich Albion.
Eliaquim Mangala is out of contention with a knee injury. Leigthon Baines and Seamus Coleman are closing in on a return to full fitness but this game might just be coming too soon for the pair of them.
Key Factors to Consider
- Burnley are winless in last 11 Premier League matches
- The Clarets lost three of their last five home games
- Everton lost their last five matches out on the road
- Both sides failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven outings
- Burnley won the reverse leg earlier this season at Goodison 1-0
Conclusion
Stuttering Burnley are slowly losing the pace which propelled them into the race for European places earlier in the season but Sean Dyche’s men still remain a force to be reckoned with. Everton, on the other hand, have shown clear signs of improvement but their away apathy seems to have settled in and could once again cause plenty of problems for Sam Allardyce’s men.
Verdict: Correct Score – Draw 0-0
Best Odds: 6/1
Bookmaker: 888sport
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