Premier League: Battle of the Clarets

Burnley vs West Ham United

David Moyes takes his high-flying West Ham up to Burnley on Sunday. It’s a game he’ll be targeting to win but the Sean Dyche’s Clarets will have other ideas.  

This Premier League game brings together two great old clubs which have made the claret and blue famous, but they are at opposite ends of the top-flight table at the moment. West Ham are up in fourth and full of confidence while Burnley are in the relegation zone, three points from safety and misfiring. 

While the axe has already fallen on a number of Premier League managers, Dyche is safe having led the Clarets to promotion twice and maintained their status in the Premier League for six years without any close shaves. He’ll want Burnley’s promising form to turn into wins and sooner rather than later, though. 

This promises to be a fascinating clash and there will be plenty of neutrals keeping track of the Premier League 2021 updates – from those who support teams trying to get into the top four and those who are determined to stay out of the bottom three.   

 

Talking Points

Burnley must cope without Cornet

The northern clarets have been slow starters again this season though pundits reckon, as they do annually, that Dyche’s team should have enough to stay up.

His team has a strong backbone with quality at either end of the pitch. But following the takeover of the club by ALK last year, the stakes are higher.

The days of putting together a band of men, young and old, who would die for the cause and mixing in a handful of sparkle are gone. Having spent just £1-M on players last year, the new owners splashed approximately £35-M this summer by bringing in Ivory Coast star Maxwell Cornet, centre-back Nathan Collins, and wing-back Connor Roberts.

Cornet in particular has been outstanding, scoring five goals in nine games and adding pace to an attack spearheaded by the experienced Chris Wood – whose three goals this term have placed him into the 50 Premier League goals club.

But the Ivorian limped off early in last week’s defeat to Newcastle and that’s a serious blow to Burnley.  

With Norwich being the hot favourites to go down, the Clarets are now at SBOTOP odds of 1.80 to join the Canaries – which is the same price as both Watford and Newcastle.

But it isn’t three from four and anyone up to Brighton in ninth place are catchable, while Brentford and Southampton look particularly vulnerable and even Leeds United had a rocky start to the campaign.

Dyche needs a plan to create more goals without Cornet for the next week or so, and also when the African Cup of Nations comes around in the New Year.       

 

Antonio will relish this fight

Hammers fans just love Michail Antonio. They like to muse about a West Ham way of playing which suggests an attractive passing game, which is why they never really took to former boss Sam Allardyce.

They do play some good football with flair players such as Pablo Fornals wowing the fans, but their two key players are powerhouses in their own rights.

In the middle of the park, Declan Rice is becoming the perfect defencive midfielder and looks to be the long-term heir to Hammers legend Mark Noble. And then there is Antonio – a proper number nine, a beast of a player, a great team man, and a brilliant striker or header of a ball. The 31-year-old is just getting better and better.

He scored a screamer in Jamaica’s recent 1-1 draw with USA and he’s bagged six goals in the Premier League this term, and he’ll be itching to go up against Burnley’s uncompromising defence.        

 

History

The Hammers have dominated the head-to-head meetings with Burnley – winning 12, drawing four. and losing six of the last 20 meetings.

Moyes’ team did the double in this fixture last season, winning 2-1 at Turf Moor and 1-0 at the London Stadium, while Burnley won both games in the 2019/20 campaign.

Recent form is comparable. Burnley have won one, drawn three, and lost two of the last six. Meanwhile, the Hammers have won two, drawn one, and lost three.         

 

Betting Tip

	Burnley vs West Ham United	1X2 Draw @ 3.35
	December 12, 22:00 (GMT+8)

The pre-match Premier League 2021 betting odds put all three outcomes firmly in the frame. And with the Hammers slightly odds against at a price of 2.01, Burnley fans will expect their team to come away with something.

A win at 3.30 would be perfect for Dyche and co., while I suspect a draw would be acceptable with a home match against Watford next on the agenda.   

A 1-1 draw is the most likely scoreline and Wood and Antonio will do all they can to be on target.    

 

 

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