Prediction: Burnley vs Liverpool

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: William Hill

Burnley are set to play host to Liverpool at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon, in a game that will be a part of round four of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign. It has traditionally been a tough place for top English teams to go to. The Champions League holders haven’t kept a clean sheet there since their 0-1 victory five years ago, and in 2016 they suffered a rather surprising and humiliating 2-0 defeat. Nonetheless, since then, Liverpool managed to grab hard-fought wins in four out of five games.

Burnley

As has been said, the Clarets can be a particularly tricky team, especially at home. A rampant Manchester City side only just managed to scrape a 0-1 win the last time they played there, in a game that would have otherwise been fatal for their run to the Premier League title. Sean Dyche’s men are very likely to prepare the same kind of welcome for Liverpool on Saturday.

Though it rarely means anything this early in a season, the Clarets currently sit in sixth place, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur on goal-difference. They demolished Southampton at home in the opening round, before losing to Arsenal at the Emirates in a game that could easily have ended differently. Last week they had an even standoff with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux (1-1), but they will welcome the champions of Europe on a high having disposed of Sunderland in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Team News

Dyche will not be able to count on midfielder Steven Defour and wingers Robert Brady and Johan Berg Gudmundsson, due to injury problems. All three players are expected back in contention halfway through September.

Liverpool

If there is a team flying high at the moment in England, it is Liverpool. Having confirmed their European domination by winning the UEFA Super Cup, their goalkeeper Alisson Becker was named the best goalkeeper of the 2018/19 Champions League campaign, while Virgil van Dijk picked up the best defender award and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, for which he beat the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

On top of all that, they are the only team in the Premier League to keep a 100% record after three rounds. Having seen off the newly-promoted Norwich City, beaten Southampton away and thoroughly outplayed Arsenal at Anfield, they sit top of the table. The Reds are surely aiming to end what will be a 30-year league-title drought come May, but for that kind of success, winning at Turf Moor seems imperative.

Team News

Alisson is still out following the calf problem that forced him off in the opening game, so Adrian is once again a certain starter between the posts. Midfileder Naby Keita is also out, as is defender Nathaniel Clyne.

Meanwhile, Times journalist Paul Joyce claims manager Jurgen Klopp is set to wring changes in his team for the Burnley clash, so to avoid overloading some of his stars during the long course of the season.

Conclusion

Even the most die-hard Burnley fans will have to admit that playing against Liverpool at the moment doesn’t bode well for their team. This is simply not a game where they should be hoping for points. On the other hand, Sean Dyche and his team have been known to thrive on such occasions – with absolutely no pressure whatsoever on their backs. They are likely to give the visitors a very hard 90 minutes, during which both teams are likely to score.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: William Hill