Burnley are travelling to Hawthorns Stadium for their Premier League clash against West Brom on Saturday. The Clarets are looking menacing in the European spot battle and a win here would certainly keep those hopes alive.
Burnley’s season has been extraordinary and they are quite rightfully the ‘best of the rest’. Their defensive record is better than half of the top six teams in the league and Leicester City have played second fiddle to them all season long.
Arsenal are currently in the sixth spot of the points table with 48 points and Burnley have 43. Nothing would more remarkable than to snatch away that last spot away from the struggling Gunners side over the last 8 games of the regular season.
Sean Dyche has already been heaped with praise over the ridiculous results he has delivered this season with unforeseen efficiency. But a European spot will truly be impressive enough to put him in the manager of the year talks. We all know Pep Guardiola will win that one but Dyche makes a strong case for the second.
West Brom should be another walk in the park for the Turf Moor based club but this fixture does happen to be an away one. Burnley had no trouble in dishing out 3 goals to West Ham United in the last match week but this could be another overwhelming challenge.
Albion did get the 0-1 win over them the last time these two sides met in August and the horrors of relegation always spark a different sense of motivation into teams.
Here is how Burnley might line up for this fixture.
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
Tom Heaton is still nursing his injury and that leaves Nick Pope as the clear favourite in the goalkeeping position. The 25-year-old has been equally impressive as his team season and is making a strong case for a starting spot for the rest of his Burnley career.
He should be shielded by the centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee. Stephen Ward is expected to provide cover from the left and Matthew Lowton from the right.
Midfield
Steven Defour and Robbie Brady have also been ruled out with injuries which would leave Jeff Hendrick to pick up the slack from a more deeper role alongside Jack Cork.
They might get flanked by Aaron Lennon from the right and Johann Berg Gudmundsson on the left.
Attack
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes have looked much better when fielded together and they might revert to that same partnership against West Brom.
