Liverpool will be eager to return to winning ways and reach the Premier League summit when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday.
The games are coming thick and fast in the Premier League in the festive period, with the traditional Boxing Day fixtures coming on Tuesday. The action will kick off with the game between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. But the penultimate match will see Burnley hosting Liverpool at Turf Moor.
Burnley will head into the Boxing Day fixture on the back of a 2-0 win over Fulham. The result kept them second from bottom in the Premier League standings as Luton Town also grabbed a victory. But it brought the Clarets some much-needed respite, as they are just three points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
On the other hand, Liverpool played out a dramatic 1-1 stalemate with Arsenal that witnessed a bizarre injury, a controversial call to deny a penalty, and a ridiculous miss inside the box. That draw was the Reds’ second successive game without a win, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to close the gap to them and Arsenal.
The most recent Premier League fixture featuring Burnley and Liverpool at Turf Moor saw the Reds clinch a 1-0 win thanks to Fabinho. 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 does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Liverpool on Tuesday, the Burnley manager might be bereft of the services of only one first-team player.
Luca Koleosho is the only absentee due to a long-term knee injury. But Johann Berg Gudmundsson (knock), Jack Cork (calf), and Aaron Ramsey (knee) might all return after their respective spells on the sidelines.
James Trafford will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. The backline should feature Vitinho, Dara O’Shea, Jordan Beyer, and Charlie Taylor.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill will look to hold the fort in the middle of the park. The duo will also focus on initiating quick transitions, bringing the wide midfielders into the picture. Mike Tresor and the in-form Wilson Odobert will take their spots on the flanks, with Lyle Foster and Zeki Amdouni being the two strikers.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Beyer, Taylor; Tresor, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Foster, Amdouni
Liverpool
Unlike his counterpart in the Burnley dugout, Jurgen Klopp has new injury concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. The Liverpool manager might be without as many as eight first-team players on Tuesday.
Kostas Tsimikas is the latest absentee, with the Greek defender sustaining a freak injury this past weekend. Tsimikas broke his collarbone, ruling him out for several weeks, if not months. He has joined Joel Matip (knee), Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Alexis Mac Allister (knee), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Diogo Jota (thigh) on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Klopp is sweating over the fitness of Luis Diaz, who picked up a knock on his knee. The Colombian international faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. But even if Diaz regains fitness, it is not sensible to risk him from the get-go amid a quick turnover of games.
So, Darwin Nunez should feature on the left flank, with Cody Gakpo spearheading the Liverpool attack against Burnley. Mohamed Salah is an automatic pick in the final third, with the Egyptian forward featuring on the right flank.
Mac Allister’s continued absence means Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai should form the midfield trifecta. Finally, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Joe Gomez pick themselves in the backline, with Gomez replacing the injured Tsimikas. There is no looking past Alisson Becker between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won seven of their eight Premier League games at Turf Moor, their highest away win rate (88%) against any side they have faced at least five times in the competition.
- Burnley have lost eight of their nine Premier League home games thus far this term. They have only lost more top-flight matches at Turf Moor in a single campaign on four previous occasions: nine in 1970/71, 1975/76 and 2020/21, and 10 in 2018/19. The Clarets have picked up five more points on the road this season than at home.
- Liverpool have found the back of the net in their last 13 away games, scoring 30 goals. The Reds have recovered a top-flight high of 19 points from losing positions this season, suffering just one league defeat in 2023/24 despite falling behind in ten matches.
- Liverpool have won their last six Boxing Day matches since a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City in 2013. On the other hand, Burnley have lost five of their most recent seven league games on Boxing Day, with their only victory in that period coming against Middlesbrough in the top-flight in 2016.
- Mohamed Salah has failed to score or assist in his previous five games against Burnley, his longest run without a goal involvement against an opponent in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Darwin Nunez
With Nunez picking himself in Luis Diaz’s potential absence, the onus will be on him to deliver the goods in the final third. The Uruguayan international has blown hot and cold this season, going on runs when he scores consistently and others where he struggles to make his mark.
The 24-year-old will be eager to deliver the goods against Burnley on Tuesday and get the much-needed three points. If he rises to the occasion, Nunez might earn an extended run in the team. But with Diogo Jota close to returning, the former Benfica striker will be under the pump.
Prediction
Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
The going has been tough for Liverpool in the last two weeks, with players other than Mohamed Salah not stepping up in the final third. The Liverpool talisman will again be the man to earn his team the three points, with Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo failing to step up.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will also make his mark, with the Englishman again combining with Salah on the right flank, where Liverpool will dominate Burnley. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Jurgen Klopp and his charges on Boxing Day.