Fulham and Burnley will clash at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon. Fulham have had a rude awakening this term as they returned to the Premier League following promotion from the Championship.
Burnley have also had a rough time in their opening fixtures. The Clarets have gained just one point from six. Sean Dyche’s side has their attention firmly on the Europa League. It has distracted the team and could continue to play havoc with it.
Despite Fulham’s free spending during the transfer window, their top talent has yet to fire. Manager Slavisa Jokanovic brought in 14 new players during the offseason. The new blood in the side could be guilty of causing problems with the team’s chemistry.
Fulham have tallied just one goal while conceding five in their opening fixtures. The Cottagers lost without much of a fight in their opener against Crystal Palace and were then outclassed by Tottenham on matchday 2.
Burnley have also found goals difficult to come by this term. They played out a nil-nil draw on opening day before being thrashed 3-1 by Watford on matchday 2. Dyche’s team seems to lack high-quality talent in attacking positions. Burnley scored just 36 goals last term and their success was firmly due to a solid defence. The team conceded just 39 goals a year ago.
The two clubs have little in the way of recent fixtures against one another. The last time they met was in 2016 in the EFL Championship. Burnley won that fixture 3-2. The Clarets have won four of the last six meetings against Fulham with just one ending in a victory for the Cottagers. That win came back in 2010.
Jokanovic has deployed a 4-3-3 formation this term in both matches using Aleksandar Mitrovic as the team’s No. 9. Ryan Sessegnon has been used on the right wing and he provided the assist for Mitrovic’s goal in their last match. Whether Fulham spent wisely in the offseason is up for debate, but on paper, Fulham have the more talented squad.
yche’s preferred 4-4-1-1 formation is designed to be difficult to beat defensively and it lacks attacking flair. Therefore, set pieces will be big in this fixture. Burnley’s lone goal this season came from defender James Tarkowski. Wingers Aaron Lennon and Johann Berg Gudmundsson will be expected to get crosses in as the team gets forward.
Due to Fulham still trying to find their chemistry after adding 14 new players and Burnley being focused on the Europa League, Sunday’s fixture will finish in a draw.