BURNLEY VS EVERTON – PREVIEW
Everton will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League on Sunday when they visit Turf Moor to play winless Burnley.
Last time out for the Toffees in the Premier League was a brilliant 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Goals from Phil Jagielka, Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman saw us to the win and all the factors of that game need to be carried into this match. The performance, the goals and the clean sheet were all terrific and would be great to see again on Sunday. After the Villa game, we made the trip to Lille in the Europa League where we picked up a credible point. It was a good defensive showing and saw us get our second clean sheet in a row. A third one at Turf Moor would be great to see for a defence that struggled at the start of the season. A mix of the Villa and Lille performances is what all Everton fans will want to see in our 13th game of the campaign. The team should be similar to the one that played Villa and hopefully the result will be too.
Danger Man – Danny Ings – Back in the Burnley team after injury
Burnley have had a bad start to the season. Four draws, four losses, only four goals scored and no wins leaves them sitting in 19th place and looking like the step up from the Premier League has been a bit too much for them. At the back, they aren’t too bad; they had the best defensive record in the Championship last season, but scoring goals really is their problem. They relied massively on the strike partnership of Sam Vokes and Danny Ings to gain promotion and with Vokes out injured and Ings still adapting to life in the top flight, goals have been hard to come by.
Burnley favour intense pressing and quick breaking with manager Sean Dyche not a believer in tons of possession. There is a focus on fitness and a good team shape and they will always be found to be competing. They have a small squad, are quite limited and we can afford to be ourselves against an average Burnley side. We shouldn’t have to adapt our style or tactics majorly although the players will have to be ready to battle against a Burnley side that won’t give up without a fight as they aim to get their first win of the season and get on to the right track in their bid for Premier league survival.
Some of the Burnley’s key players are captain Jason Shackell who is a strong leader in defence, midfielders George Boyd and Michael Kightly who bring experience and attacking flair and Ings up front who netted 26 goals last season and is a threat no matter what division he is playing in.
The last time we came up against the Clarets at Turf Moor was in 2009 when we went down 1-0. In December of that year, goals from James Vaughan and Pienaar allowed us to beat them 2-0 at Goodison Park.
Everton are without Kevin Mirallas, John Stones, Bryan Oviedo and Arouna Kone for the game while Burnley don’t have Vokes, Steven Reid or Matty Taylor available to play due to injury. Dean Marney faces a late fitness test for the home side.
BURNLEY LIKELY LINE UP: Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Wallace, Boyd, Arfield, Kightly, Ings, Jutkiewicz (4-4-2)
EVERTON LIKELY LINE UP: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Alcaraz, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Barkley, Naismith, Pienaar, Lukaku (4-2-3-1)
An Everton side playing well and determined to go on a good winning run should outplay struggling Burnley and claim a second Premier League win in a row.
PREDICTION: Burnley 0-2 Everton.
Eoin Leeson.
https://twitter.com/LeesonEoin_EFC