Burnley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Premier League.
Turf MoorAttendance20,990.
Friday 29 March 2019 17:33, UK
Sean Dyche has told Burnley their Premier League fate lies in their own hands as they attempt to drag themselves out of relegation trouble.
Dyche will take charge of the Clarets for the 300th time when Wolves head for Turf Moor on Saturday with the club poised precariously just two points clear of Cardiff - who have a game in hand - inside the relegation zone.
With seven matches remaining, Burnley have work to do if they are to extend their three-year stay among the big boys, the prospects for which have not been helped by a run of four successive defeats.
Dyche told the club's official website: "It gets to a point - which is now - where it's still right in our grasp, where it wasn't at Christmas. I think we've come a long way since that build-up to Christmas.
"It's easy to forget we only had 12 points at 19 games. We've now got 30, so that's a pretty healthy return. Now, we've got to continue to build on that.
"Since Christmas, the actual form has been good. The last run has been tough, obviously. But if you mix that altogether, you'd certainly take the return in points.
"But we've got to get more. That's just what it tells you on the league table."
Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo insists Wolves' 21-year wait to play a FA Cup semi-final will not distract from their Premier League focus over the next few days.
Ahead of a last-four date with Watford at Wembley next Sunday, Wolves head to Burnley and face Manchester United at Molineux on Tuesday.
Nuno has stressed the importance of taking a game at a time and is adamant the club's first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1998 will not come into their thinking until after the game with United.
"We don't think about that, we only look at the Burnley game and how we want to play and the things that we want to do against a very tough team," said the Portuguese.
"Burnley are a very good team at home, physical, organised, aggressive, and it is a very tough game for us.
"I expect a tough game between two teams who compete well. I can only focus on myself and the players, the things we want to do. But we realise how difficult it is going to be tomorrow. We have to be switched on.
"The best way to compete is that you look at the next challenge ahead of us - you don't think about anything else. Game by game. Training session by training session. This is how we work and we have to continue like that."
Burnley are assessing Johann Berg Gudmundsson with the winger, who missed Iceland's 4-0 loss to France on Monday, nursing a minor calf injury.
Aaron Lennon is pushing to be involved again before the end of the season after knee surgery, but Steven Defour is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the campaign having undergone a calf operation and Jonathan Walters last week announced his retirement due to an Achilles problem sustained while on loan at Ipswich earlier this term.
As for the visitors, Ryan Bennett is expected to be the only absentee at Turf Moor. The defender will complete a two-match Premier League ban after receiving his 10th yellow card of the season in the home win over Cardiff on March 2.
Rui Patricio will return in goal after John Ruddy played in the FA Cup victory against United prior to the international break.
Burnley have been dragged back into the relegation fight. They haven't looked like winning a game for toffee since their massive result against Tottenham. There is a result to be had at the bottom which no one will see coming, then all of a sudden, a handful of teams will be back in the mix. Wolves have been one of the stories of the season, but they will find it tough to play at Turf Moor. They will be pinned back, unable to play their passing game and will find it tough.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1
