Burnley and Everton will meet at Turf Moor in a potential relegation six-pointer, with three points being like gold dust.
Saturday’s action in Gameweek 17 of the 2023/24 Premier League season will bring us five games. The proceedings will begin with four simultaneous fixtures before it ends at Turf Moor, where Burnley will host Everton, with both teams desperate for a maximum quota of points.
Burnley would have hoped to take the Premier League by storm under Vincent Kompany after cruising to the EFL Championship title last season. But they have found out the hard way that the Premier League is a different ball-game altogether. The Clarets have won only two games thus far this term, with no team having fewer points than them.
As for Everton, the Toffees are on a resurgent run since receiving a ten-point deduction for breaching Financial Fair Play guidelines. Sean Dyche’s men have won four of their last five games, rising to 17th on the table. And if not for the sanction, they would be as high as tenth heading into Gameweek 17.
Burnley came from a goal down to clinch a 3-2 win the last time they hosted Everton at Turf Moor in the Premier League. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Vincent Kompany has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Everton on Saturday, the Burnley manager will be bereft of the services of at least four first-team players.
Charlie Taylor is the latest absentee, with the resident left-back serving a suspension after picking up his fifth booking this season last weekend. Taylor has joined Jack Cork (calf) and Luca Koleosho (knee) on the sidelines.
In addition, Kompany is sweating over the fitness of Josh Cullen (knock) and Aaron Ramsey (knee). The duo will unlikely feature on Saturday. Meanwhile, Lyle Foster has some time off as he recovers from his mental health problems.
James Trafford will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. Connor Roberts should deputise for the suspended Taylor, joining Vitinho, Dara O’Shea, and Jordan Beyer in the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge will form a dynamic partnership. The duo will provide a goal threat but will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Wilson Odobert should be the two wide midfielders.
The duo will add a layer of protection during the defensive phases. But they will look to trouble the Everton defenders with their directness. Finally, Zeki Amdouni and Jay Rodriguez should be the two strikers for Burnley against Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Beyer, Roberts; Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Berge, Odobert; Amdouni, Rodriguez
Everton
Like his counterpart in the Burnley dugout, Sean Dyche has new concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. The Everton manager might be without six first-team players on Saturday.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye are the latest absentees, with the duo serving suspensions after picking up their fifth booking of the 2023/24 season last weekend. The pair has joined Dele Alli on the sidelines, with the former Tottenham midfielder recovering from a groin issue.
Meanwhile, Dyche is sweating over the fitness of Ashley Young (knock), Seamus Coleman (match fitness), and Andre Gomes (match fitness). The trio might miss Saturday’s game, which might have come too soon for them.
Nathan Patterson will start as the right-back in Young and Coleman’s absence. Meanwhile, Michael Keane should be James Tarkowski’s central defensive partner, with the latter facing his former club for the first time since departing from Turf Moor last year. Vitaliy Mykolenko will complete the numbers in the backline, which will protect Jordan Pickford.
Everton will line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with James Garner and Amadou Onana pairing up in the middle of the park. Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil should be the two wide attackers, with the duo not shying away from taking on the Burnley defenders. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will spearhead the Everton attack, with the in-form Abdoulaye Doucoure playing behind him.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Onana, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Burnley have won five of their eight Premier League home games against Everton, more victories than they have managed against any opponent at Turf Moor in the competition.
- Everton lost 3-2 at Burnley in their most recent Premier League meeting in April 2022. Only once have they lost consecutive games against the Clarets in the competition, doing so in the 2017/18 campaign.
- Everton have won each of their last three matches in the Premier League and have managed to keep clean sheets in all these games.
- Sean Dyche will return to Turf Moor for the first time since leaving Burnley in April 2022. His only previous away game against the Clarets was a 2-2 draw with Watford in the EFL Championship in August 2011 – his inaugural game as a manager.
- Abdoulaye Doucoure has applied 664 pressures on opposing players in the Premier League this season, over 100 more than any other player. The Malian midfielder has scored 11 goals since Sean Dyche took over as the Everton manager earlier this year, accounting for 34% of his total in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Abdoulaye Doucoure has been the talk of the town among pundits and the Everton supporters. The Malian midfielder is the top scorer for Everton this season, with the next-best in the Premier League having half of his tally (6). That player is Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Englishman has worked hard to overcome his frustrating fitness woes from the last couple of seasons. But he has yet to rediscover his best scoring touch and has managed only three goals thus far this term. So, it is high time he steps up and takes some burden off Doucoure’s shoulders. The game against Burnley provides him the best opportunity to do so.
Prediction
Burnley 0-2 Everton
Burnley will not have enough quality to trouble Everton, with Jordan Pickford in line to keep his fourth successive clean sheet. On the other hand, Abdoulaye Doucoure is in fine touch, and he, along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, should deliver the goods. The Hard Tackle predicts the visitors to continue their brilliant run and beat the Clarets 2-0 at Turf Moor on Saturday.
