Burnley vs Crystal Palace: Premier League preview, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time
Burnley to check on internationals; Ebere Eze back in Palace ranks after Achilles injury; follow Burnley vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel from 5.15pm
Saturday 20 November 2021 15:42, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Burnley vs Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Team news
Burnley boss Sean Dyche will run the rule over his returning international stars prior to his side's Turf Moor clash with Crystal Palace.
Ashley Barnes will be assessed after picking up a minor unspecified knock, while Aaron Lennon is available to return after illness.
Dale Stephens is continuing to make good progress but is still not ready to make his first-team return after injury.
Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur will miss the trip to Turf Moor after he sustained a hamstring injury in training.
But a significant boost for Patrick Vieira is the return to fitness of Ebere Eze, who has been out since May with an Achilles issue.
"Eze is doing really well," Vieira said. "He played two games, 90 minutes and has been training with the team and he will be part of the group that travels to Burnley."
How to follow
Follow Burnley vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 5.15pm on Saturday.
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Last time out...
Jones Knows prediction
Crystal Palace are a tactically impressive unit that are going places under Patrick Vieira. To stifle teams like Brighton, Wolves, Leicester, West Ham and Arsenal this season - and of course beat Manchester City - shows that they are on an exciting path.
But they are a second-half team.
Much of their play is about controlling the opposition and rarely do they risk too much in the early knockings of an encounter. When analysing first halves only this season, Palace have scored the fewest goals (2) and had the fewest shots (42) of any team in the Premier League. They have failed to score in nine of their 11 first halves and have scored 87 per cent of their goals after the break, to the extent that if only second halves counted they would be fourth in the Premier League.
I can foresee a match situation where that risk-averse tactic to the early stages could come a cropper against Burnley, who do like to fly out of the gates in these types of matches. If you take out the fixtures with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, Burnley have scored the first goal in six of their other eight fixtures. That makes the 5/2 with Sky Bet for Burnley to be winning at half-time too big to ignore.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1
BETTING ANGLE: Burnley to be winning at half-time (5/2 with Sky Bet)
Opta stats
- Burnley have won their last three Premier League games against Crystal Palace, keeping a clean sheet in each. The Clarets have only won four league games in a row against the Eagles once, winning their first four against them between 1969 and 1971.
- None of the eight top-flight meetings between Burnley and Crystal at Turf Moor have ended as a draw - the Clarets have won five and Palace three, with last season ending 1-0 to Burnley thanks to a Chris Wood goal.
- The team scoring first has gone on to win each of the last 10 Premier League meetings between Burnley and Crystal Palace, since the Clarets went 2-0 ahead before losing 3-2 in January 2015.
- Burnley's win against Brentford in their last home league match ended the Clarets' 14-game winless run at Turf Moor in the Premier League. They last won back-to-back home league games in December 2020.
- Burnley have won more points (5) and scored more goals (6) in their last three Premier League games than they had in their previous 11 combined (3 points, 5 goals).
- Crystal Palace are looking to win three consecutive league games for the first time since a run of four between February and June 2020. Meanwhile, the Eagles are unbeaten in six Premier League games (W2 D4), their longest run without defeat since August 2018 (7 games).
Premier League Preview - Souness on 'angry' Liverpool's point to prove vs Arsenal | Delph's impressive return |Kane's confidence boost
Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness, and football writers Oliver Yew and Ben Grounds to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.
PART 1 | How will Liverpool respond after their first defeat of the season? Graeme Souness explains why they'll be 'full throttle' against an Arsenal side who, he feels, are still a long way off, despite their recent unbeaten run
PART 2 | Oliver Yew and Ben Grounds look at the contrasting impacts of Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus this season, and discuss Fabien Delph's surprise return to form with Everton, ahead of his side's trip to a club he won two Premier League titles with
PART 3 | Harry Kane scored seven goals in two games during the international break but will that translate to the Premier League? We talk Tottenham ahead of Antonio Conte's first home league game in charge, and explain the reasons behind Leeds' slow start.
