Burnley and Huddersfield Town will both look to continue their respective flying starts to the new Premier League campaign when the two sides lock horns in the north west on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts only sit above David Wagner’s side on goal difference after identical starts to the year, although Burnley will be looking to draw strength from points earnt against the top-flight big boys.
Huddersfield have arguably defied everybody’s pre-season expectations so far though, already showing that they have what it takes to survive, and they’ll want to continue their form on Saturday.
See below for The Boot Room’s comprehensive preview of an intriguing clash at Turf Moor.
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Burnley have arguably been one of the surprise packages of the season so far, avoiding defeat against Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool away from home already in some exceptional displays.
It seems that the opening day win at Stamford Bridge has given them the confidence to exceed expectations this season, and a home defeat to West Brom has been the only minor blip to date.
But their opponents have made an equally eye-catching start to their first ever adventure in the top-flight, with Huddersfield only losing one of their opening five matches at West Ham a fortnight ago.
Prior to that they managed excellent victories against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, and the Terriers showed spirit last weekend to bounce back from their defeat and get a point with Leicester.
It wasn’t such a feel-good story for either side in the Carabao Cup during the week, however, with Burnley losing out to Leeds on penalties whilst Huddersfield were handed a third-round exit by Palace.
Team News
For the hosts, new signing Anders Lindegaard is available for selection after joining the club on Thursday although it is likely that Sean Dyche will persist with the impressive Nick Pope in goal.
Jonathan Walters is unlikely to feature due to a knee injury but aside from that there are no new concerns for the Clarets as they look to go four successive Premier League matches unbeaten.
There’s less positive news as far as the visitors are concerned though, with David Wagner’s list of injuries at Huddersfield beginning to grow after Danny Williams is the latest player to be side-lined.
He’ll miss out against Burnley whilst star-striker Steve Mounie, Laurent Depoitre and Rajiv van la Parra are all struggling to be passed fit in time, leaving Elias Kachunga as the only recognised striker available.
Predicted Line-Ups
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Match Prediction: Burnley 1-0 Huddersfield
It isn’t likely to be a high-scoring encounter when the two sides meet at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, with both managers disciplining their teams well and priding themselves on setting up from at the back.
Huddersfield have only scored one goal in their previous four matches and are in the midst of a striking crisis, whilst the hosts have only scored once in each of their past three top-flight matches.
And with that in mind it could be a closely-fought yet cagey encounter, but Burnley’s experience of the Premier League – and their recent ability to grind out results – should be able to see them over the line.