19th placed Burnley will welcome 17th placed Everton on Wednesday night in a match that might determine whether or not they will remain in the Premier League next season. Who will come out on top and claim all three points that might prove pivotal in the relegation dogfight this season?
Burnley
Sean Dyche is the longest-serving manager in the Premier League right now. The 50-year-old has been in charge of Burnley since 2012. He brought the Clarets back to the Premier League in 2013/14, and after dropping back to Championship in 2015, they made a triumphant return to the English top-flight in 2016/17 and have remained in the Premier League since then.
As things stand, however, it seems unlikely that Dyche will be able to deliver Premier League football at Turf Moor for the seventh successive season. Burnley sit 19th on the Premier League table, having collected only 22 points thus far. The fact that they have two matches in hand over 17th placed Watford should give them a glimmer of hope, but the club’s recent form has been far from encouraging.
In March, Burnley failed to win any of their Premier League matches, and their losing streak continued when they hosted Manchester City on Saturday. The Citizens were dominant throughout the game, and they sealed the points through goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan. The match ended 2-0 in City’s favour, meaning Burnley could not find the opposition net since February.
A solid defence has been the base of Burnley’s success since their return to the Premier League in 2016. They always had trouble scoring goals, but their defenders bailed them out and kept them alive in the division. That defensive resilience has been absent this term around. As a result, the Lancashire outfit find themselves on the brink of relegation.
Dyche doesn’t have too many injury concerns ahead of the tie, with only Erik Pieters, Johan Berg Gudmundsson, and Matej Vydra set to miss Everton’s midweek visit.
Everton
Frank Lampard became the first manager in Everton history to lose the first four Premier League away matches in charge when Everton fell short to a lively West Ham side. The former Chelsea manager has failed to arrest the downfall that started under his predecessor Rafael Benitez. Now, the Toffees face the possibility of getting relegated from the English top division for the first time since 1951.
The defeat at London Stadium extended Everton’s dismal winless away match run to 12 matches. Mason Holgate gave the visitors hope as he drew the scores level right after the second-half restart. But, Everton’s game management hit the skids as they allowed West Ham to restore their lead before Michael Keane saw the red card and reduced Everton to 10-men.
Everton have been the worst-performing Premier League side in 2022 as they managed to grab only six points since the turn of the year. They also have the worst away record in the division, having won only once away from home in the entire campaign. Lampard has to inspire his players to rise to the occasion and put more cushion between themselves and the drop zone.
Manchester United loanee Donny van de Beek has joined Andre Gomes, Tom Davies, Yerry Mina, Nathan Patterson, Andros Townsend, and Fabian Delph on the injury list. Seamus Coleman has recovered from illness and will face a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Our Prediction
Both teams enter the fray in terrible form, and both of them will be targeting this particular fixture to rack up some vital points. We expect it to be a cagey affair, but we believe the attacking trio of Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin could swing the balance in Everton’s favour.
Betting Tip
Everton to win @ 2.8.
