Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they clash at Turf Moor on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 23. The action on Saturday starts with the game between West Ham United and Sunderland at the Stadium of Light before continuing with three successive fixtures, including Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor.
Burnley’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign has progressed as most would have expected before the season began. The Clarets were solid in the first quarter of this term, as ten points in nine games lifted them to 16th on the table. However, Scott Parker’s men have failed to win their 13 subsequent top-flight fixtures, managing only four more points to drop to the 19th spot.
Nevertheless, the hosts have shown some promising signs in recent outings, as they cruised to a 5-1 win over Millwall to progress to the FA Cup fourth round. Burnley then produced a spirited performance to hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw. Parker will take heart from the fact that his charges have been more solid at home and have a goal difference of only -5 at Turf Moor as they welcome an ailing Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking of Tottenham, the Lilywhites have endured another dreadful Premier League campaign. Thomas Frank was off to an exceptional start in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, as his charges lost only two of their first nine games and beat Manchester City, among others, to remain in the top four until Gameweek 9.
Since then, Spurs have been horrendous, winning only two of their 13 subsequent Premier League games to drop to 14th in the standings. However, the players eased some pressure off Frank’s shoulders by clinching a much-needed 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week.
The reverse fixture ended in a 3-0 win for Tottenham Hotspur, with Richarlison and Brennan Johnson finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Scott Parker has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Burnley manager may be bereft of the services of only five first-team players vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Joe Worrall and Zian Flemming are closing in on returning to action, and they face late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Connor Roberts (achilles), Josh Cullen (knee), Jordan Beyer (thigh), Mike Tresor (ankle), and Zeki Amdouni (knee) remain in the treatment room.
Martin Dubravka is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Axel Tuanzebe, Maxime Esteve, and Bashir Humphreys. Meanwhile, Kyle Walker and Lucas Pires will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Lesley Ugochukwu and Florentino Luis. Finally, Armando Broja will lead the line for Burnley against Tottenham, with Marcus Edwards and Jaidon Anthony completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Dubravka; Tuanzebe, Esteve, Humphreys; Walker, Ugochukwu, Florentino Luis, Pires; Edwards, Anthony; Broja
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike his counterpart in the Burnley dugout, Thomas Frank has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without seven first-team players on Saturday.
Joao Palhinha is close to returning, and he faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. However, Lucas Bergvall (ankle) has joined Ben Davies (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring), James Maddison (knee), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), and Richarlison (thigh) in the treatment room.
Guglielmo Vicario is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Burnley on Saturday. The backline will feature Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie.
As for the midfield unit, Archie Gray will line up alongside Conor Gallagher in the double pivot, with Xavi Simons reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Dominic Solanke will spearhead the Tottenham attack against Burnley, with Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher; Odobert, Simons, Tel; Solanke
Key Stats
- Burnley have lost six of their last seven Premier League games against Tottenham, including each of the last four in a row since a 1-0 home win in February 2022. The Lilywhites average 2.2 goals per game in the Premier League against Burnley (41 goals in 19 games), only averaging more against Hull City among sides they have faced ten or more times (2.3).
- Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League away games against promoted sides (W11 D2) since a 3-1 loss at Leeds United in May 2021. Meanwhile, Spurs have lost four of their eight most recent Premier League games against sides in the drop zone (W3 D1), including a 2-1 loss to West Ham United last weekend. They have not lost consecutive league games against sides in the bottom three since March 1997 (vs West Ham and Nottingham Forest).
- Burnley are winless in their 13 most recent Premier League games (D4 L9). They last had a longer run in the top flight between August and October 1970 (14) and in the league overall between December 2006 and March 2007 (18 in the Championship).
- Tottenham have racked up 67% of their Premier League points this season in away games (18/27), the highest share in the division. Only league leaders Arsenal (21) have earned more points on the road than the North London club (18).
- No team has scored more headed goals (9), more goals from corners (11), or more goals via defenders (7) than Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this season.
Player to Watch
Pedro Porro
While Dominic Solanke, Armando Broja, and former Tottenham prospect Marcus Edwards were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Pedro Porro as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor.
The Spanish international has been a rare bright spot for Tottenham this season, and he has played more passes into the box (180) and delivered more open play crosses (113) than any other player in the Premier League this term. Porro has also created the most chances among defenders (32), and his output will hold the key for the away side this weekend.
Prediction
Burnley 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Few would have given Burnley the chance to come into Saturday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur on the back of a three-game unbeaten run. However, after the spirited performances against Manchester United and Liverpool in their two most recent Premier League outings, the Clarets will fancy their prospects of adding to Tottenham’s woes.
While the visitors will be buoyed by their performance against Borussia Dortmund, they have seldom followed up a positive showing in the UEFA Champions League with a win in the Premier League in recent months. That pattern may continue this weekend, as Burnley will produce another resolute display at home to hold Tottenham to a stalemate. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw for Saturday’s game.
