Sean Dyche focused on Burnley’s form as they travel to face a fearless Aston Villa

Coming off of a 1-0 away victory against a depleted Arsenal, Dyche has turned his attention to the Clarets’ trip to B6.

Focused on how the side manage to absorb pressure and steal matches with minimal chances, the Burnley boss relays his hope in England international, Nick Pope.

Sean Dyche’s team currently sit only one point above the relegation zone, despite beating Arsenal and earning a draw against a strong Everton team.

Having only won two games all season, its vital that Burnley pick up some points. The Clarets will look to earn the ‘magical 40 points’ to avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

Despite their poor form, and slow start to the Premier League season, Dyche has nothing but praise for Nick Pope.

“He is getting more experience in what he can do, what he delivers and his starting positions are getting better. He’s stopping the ball going into the net, which is an obvious one and an important factor in my team.”

So far this season, Pope has earned four man of the match awards, the second most in the league behind fellow international team-mate Harry Kane.

Although keeping balls out the net may not be an issue for Dyche, going up the other end and scoring is a problem, evidenced by top goal-scorer Chris Wood who is currently sat on two goals for the 2020/21 campaign.

In contrast, Dean Smith’s Villa take great joy in putting the ball in the back of the net, as well as keeping them out. In a match that Villa are expected to dominate, the pressure is on the Villans.

For this match Villa will be without Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash, who both received a suspension following their 1-0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but both will be back for the short trip to the Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion.

Dean Smith has confirmed that Fred Guilbert will be fit for the clash against Burnley after playing for the under 23’s in a 3-2 defeat to Leeds United. The French full-back hasn’t been able to enjoy many minutes on the pitch as a result of Matty Cash performing ever so well for Aston Villa.

Smith also confirmed that Ross Barkley will be assessed ahead of the match, whilst Trezeguet will miss the tie through injury.

A win for Burnley will see them move up only one place, providing Brighton lose to relegation rivals Fulham. Whilst for Aston Villa, a win could see them move up to as high as sixth place with a game in hand, but this depends on teams above the Lions drop points.

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