- Burnley record signing Defour could debut
- Reds playmaker Saido Mane is injured
- Liverpool has outscored Burnley 11-0 in 4 PL games
Burnley put in a typical Burnley display in their season opener, just falling short at home against Swansea. Despite a 23-match unbeaten streak coming into this season, the old problems remain evident as the Clarets continue to struggle in front of goal. They’ll need to do better with the Reds coming to town, Saturday at 10:00am E.T. from Turf Moor live on NBCSN or live online at NBCSports.com.
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The Reds will be on a high after using a 20-minute storm to down Arsenal 4-3 at the Emirates. Liverpool did display weaknesses for much of that match, with left-back Alberto Moreno struggling mightily in the defensive area, but ultimately they prevailed with a strong showing by Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian brought his usual magic and spurred the Reds to life.
Coutinho could have help up front as the Reds continue their short road trip. Daniel Sturridge could return to the starting lineup after missing opening day with yet another minor injury. James Milner could also make his return to the midfield. Meanwhile, Saido Mane is out for the foreseeable future with a shoulder injury.
Burnley will want a result out of these opening two fixtures at home, with Chelsea, Leicester City, and Arsenal coming up in their next six matches.
What they’re saying
Dyche on Premier League spending: “In the Premier League world, the numbers that get bandied around for us seem really small. But they are actually big for a club like Burnley. The rest of the Premier League are probably going: ‘Why aren’t they just getting on with those deals?’ For us, it’s a big thing to spend millions of pounds. For others, it’s just like: ‘Park that, let’s move on and get another one in’. That’s the vast difference in the market. Liverpool, for example, their cheapest player will be more expensive than our record signing.”
Klopp on Alberto Moreno: “I’m sorry people aren’t happy with Alberto Moreno. We will only take another one if it’s the guy we want. [The] problem with transfers is no-one cares about players still here.”
Prediction
Liverpool’s last nine Premier League games have featured an average of 4.6 goals per game, so despite Burnley’s difficulties in front of net, goals could be had. Likely, however, they’ll mostly be on the Red side of things. Burnley looks set for another grind of a Premier League season, and while Defour will help, he certainly can’t do it all himself, especially on debut. This is a solid 2-0 win for the Reds.