Burnley hope to keep survival hopes alive with a trip to top-six challengers West Ham

 

West Ham will hope to maintain high spirits following their remarkable Europa League victory against Olympique Lyonnais as they face a Burnley side preparing for life without Sean Dyche.

David Moyes’ men will be on cloud nine following their 3-0 victory against the French giants to progress to the Europa League semi-finals. Attention now returns to the league, however, where form requires improvement if the Irons are to secure another year of European football.

Recent defeats to locals Brentford and Tottenham have pinned West Ham back with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Wolves all gunning for their spot. But SPurs and Arsenal both lost yesterday to keep the Irons’ pathway open..

A European adventure seems like a distant memory for Burnley with a return to the Championship beckoning. The Clarets find themselves four points from safety with fellow strugglers Everton picking up a surprise victory against Man United last time out. 

A great escape will have to be done without Sean Dyche, however, following his surprise departure earlier this week. His nine-and-a-half year tenure at Turf Moor saw Burnley achieve top-half finishes and a European tour of their own but have been hit by the harsh reality of a relegation battle this campaign. 

Under-23s coach Michael Jackson will be in charge for Sunday’s clash where Burnley are in desperate need of claiming only a fifth league win of the season.

The Lancashire side needs an immediate response with just eight games left to play, with full focus on the games ahead amid a turbulent period for the club. After securing four points in their last seven games, a victory in the capital would be the perfect answer to keep the pressure on the Toffees.

Team News

Aaron Cresswell will likely return to the starting eleven for the hosts after suspension ruled him out of the clash against Lyon. Kurt Zouma meanwhile is still sidelined due to picking up an ankle injury in the defeat to Brentford earlier last week. Fellow defender Angelo Ogbonna will also miss out with the long-term absentee out of action since November.

For Burnley, Erik Pieters and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson are both likely to miss out while Ben Mee will be in the dugout assisting Michael Jackson for Sunday’s match with injury keeping him out of action.

Views from the managers

David Moyes

The Scottish manager is hopeful his side can build on their midweek success while being mindful of the difficulties of playing such crucial matches in quick succession.

“We want to use the highs for the players to recognise that this is how good it can be. We want to be in this place. We want them to be positive and confident with their actions, with what they do on the pitch. We want to take it into the game on Sunday, we want to take the confidence that we got from the game.

“The other side of it is you’ve got a game not too long ago and you’re getting asked to play again which in truth, I think any of the teams who have played Thursday and Sunday would tell you it is not an ideal situation.”

Michael Jackson

The new man in charge believes it is unlikely to expect any drastic changes in playing style and has instead focused on the need to rebuild confidence if Burnley are to find a way out of this relegation battle.

“I don’t think we are going to change the style and how we play in one day. The strength of this group is the group, they will pull together. We might tinker with a few bits of detail but there will be no change of style. The confidence will only come from the games and at the moment we will take one half of football at a time.”

Head-to-Head

These two sides engaged in a bore draw last time they met, where their respective situations were not much different. West Ham looked to continue their European push while Burnley lingered around the bottom three, where a 0-0 draw could end up being rather significant for the Clarets come the end of the season.

West Ham completed the double over this weekend’s opponents last season while Burnley have not beaten the Irons away from home since July 2020, courtesy of a Jay Rodriguez winner.

A victory for the visitors would not only be the perfect start for Jackson but a sign of hope their six-year stint in the Premier League is not over yet.

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