Burnley vs Hull City: Match preview and predicted line-ups

By grvadmin

The international break is over and the Premier League resumes normal service this weekend with a full round of fixtures. The Manchester derby will grab most of the headlines, but just 20 miles north of Old Trafford there will be another equally important game going on.

The pre-seasons of these two newly-promoted sides were a world away from those of Manchester United and Manchester City. Despite the many millions that promotion to the Premier League promises, Hull struggled to attract many of their transfer targets, after the departure of Steve Bruce left the club in limbo over the past few months. Although Burnley’s summer has been much more stable, Sean Dyche has had to be considerably more frugal than many of his managerial counterparts. However, the Clarets did smash their transfer record in signing Jeff Hendrick for £10.5 million from Derby County.

These two may be the bookies favourite for relegation but both have started better than expected. Hull’s performances have been nothing short of heroic under caretaker boss Mike Phelan, and although he is somehow yet to be given the job on a permanent basis, his players look as though they would be willing to run through brick walls for him. Meanwhile, Burnley’s start to the season may have been overshadowed by the furore surrounding Andre Gray’s questionable tweets from a few years back, but a shock win over Liverpool suggests that Dyche’s men may have enough about them to put up a sterner fight than in their last two Premier League campaigns.

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Burnley’s opening day defeat at home to Swansea hinted at another difficult campaign for the Clarets, but their impressive 2-0 victory over Liverpool should provide them with belief that they can handle themselves this season. A 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge prior to the international break shouldn’t be too much cause for concern for Dyche as his side are unlikely to face many tougher tests over the next nine months.

Hull started like a house on fire, picking up six points from their first two matches after victories over Leicester City and Swansea City. Victory over Exeter City in the EFL Cup was then followed by the Tigers holding off Manchester United for 92 minutes, before Marcus Rashford snatched a late winner for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Predicted line-ups

Burnley predicted starting XI                         Hull City predicted starting XI

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Injuries and Suspensions

Sean Dyche has a full squad at his disposal ahead of this one, despite Andre Gray receiving an FA charge for misconduct relating to four-year-old homophobic tweets.

As for Hull, Abel Hernandez’s fitness will be being closely monitored after his return from international duty with Uruguay. The 26-year-old is not expected to return from South America until tomorrow afternoon and has shown signs of fatigue following previous international breaks. The Tigers are still without Michael Dawson, Allan McGregor, Alex Bruce and Moses Odubajo, but after making six new signings in the final days of the transfer window, Mike Phelan will have a slightly larger pool of players to choose from for his side’s trip to Lancashire.

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Conclusion

Of course, it is far too early to label this one a relegation six-pointer but it is certainly a game that both sides will be determined to win. Burnley forward Sam Vokes has spoken of the importance of making Turf Moor a fortress this season if the Clarets are to stand any chance of survival, so it is important that they build on the Liverpool result with another three points here. Hull’s recent form will also give them confidence heading into this one, but we predict that the two will cancel one another out with a 1-1 draw.

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