Burnley v Newcastle Premier League Preview

Two teams tied on 9 points and only separated by goal difference slug it out at Turf Moor on Monday night in the final week 13 Premier League fixture. 15th place Burnley on a -13 goal difference host 14th place Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle with -6 goal difference in a “6-pointer”. The Clarets are without a Premier League win in 5 games and will hope to grab a win against fellow strugglers Newcastle.

Burnley’s form last season saw them punch above their weight, finishing 7th on the table and qualify for Europe. The Clarets are however struggling to return to that level this term. They have managed only 2 wins in 12 Premier League games which came in back-to-back games against Bournemouth and newly promoted Cardiff. They snapped out of a 3-game losing streak by holding Leicester a 0-0 draw before the international break making it their 3rd draw in the Premier League this season. If the Clarets are to avoid being dragged into the murky waters of relegation, they need up the ante very soon. Dyche will hope the break has come at a good time and the season can be rebooted.

Week 12’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth catapulted the Magpies to 14th in the Premier League table and should give their confidence a major boost as they travel to Lancashire. Newcastle displayed a rare level of game control and maturity not quite seen from the team so far this season to ensure the Cherries did not share the spoils as Kennedy and Rondon put up eye-catching displays. While Newcastle can also boast of 9 points from 12 games, they have taken 7 points from the last 3 games in the league. That run of 3 unbeaten games started with a 0-0 draw away to Southampton followed by a 2-1 win over Watford at Tyneside before the victory over Bournemouth.

Like their opponents, Newcastle’s start to the season was dismal with 3 draws to show for in their first 10 games. A section of the Toon faithfuls are remonstrating with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley over his failure to back Benitez in the summer transfer window to make purchases that would turn their side into solid Premier League performers. However, many still hold the perception that the team has enough quality to distance themselves from a relegation battle. Benitez has to raise Newcastle into a higher position in the league or he will soon be categorised into managerial has-beens.

Burnley have flip-flopped between defeat and victory in their last 7 Premier League games played on a Monday and will give anything for that trend to continue. They lost on their last Monday fixture, a New Year’s day game at home to Liverpool ended in a 1-2 defeat. Newcastle on the other hand have lost 11 of their last 12 Monday fixtures with all 12 ties coming away from home. Their only win coming in a 1-0 victory over Stoke also on New Year’s day.

Team News

Nick Pope is out with a shoulder injury till early December while James Tarkowski, Ben Gibson and Steven Ward are all out due to injury. Joan Berg Gudmundsson and Steven Defour are also doubtful for Burnley.

Jonjo Shelvey, Yoshinori Muto and Jamaal Lascelles missed the win over Bournemouth and are doubtful for this game while Newcastle will be without Florian Lejeune and Jamie Sterry. Paul Dummett was injured on international duty and will be assessed.

Verdict

While Spaniard Benitez has only won one game in 11 against English managers in the Premier League, that win came in their last game against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth. Newcastle are the team in form leading up to this game while Burnley having scored first in the 4 previous Premier League ties between the two teams have gone on to win just once. Newcastle look the likely winner if any.