Burnley will be looking to extend their five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League when they face Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The Clarets have moved up to 10th following a series of impressive results, while Newcastle are six points behind in 14th.
Steve Bruce’s side are without a win in four league games. After drawing with Everton and Norwich, the Magpies have suffered back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Newcastle offered very little resistance at Selhurst Park last time out. Bruce’s men only managed two shots on target, while Palace needed just one goal to claim the win.
The Magpies appeared to be heading in the right direction a couple of months ago. However, Newcastle now sit seven points above the bottom three, and relegation is still a possibility.
On the other hand, Burnley have been flying of late and a run of four wins in five games has guided the club well clear of the relegation battle.
Victories over Leicester, Manchester United, Southampton and Bournemouth mean Sean Dyche’s side are now looking up, rather than down.
Burnley may be without top scorer Chris Wood, but Matej Vydra has deputised admirably in recent games. The Czech forward has netted two goals in the last two games.
The Clarets are generally known for their defensive solidity, but Dyches’s men have also been scoring plenty of goals lately. Nine goals and three clean sheets in their previous five games have improved their goal difference dramatically.
Burnley beat Newcastle 1-0 earlier in the season, but that was their first victory over the Magpies in four attempts. In total, the two teams have faced each other seven times in the Premier League and Newcastle have only lost twice.
Newcastle’s injury list is vast at the moment and Steve Bruce could be without ten first-team players this weekend. Valentino Lazaro is suspended following his red card against Palace, while Andy Carroll, Ciaran Clark, Jetro Williams and Paul Dummett are among those on the treatment table.
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes could both return from injury for Burnley on Saturday, but Matthew Lowton and Ben Gibson are likely to miss out.
Only one of the previous five meetings between these two teams has produced over 2.5 goals, and we’re set for another low-scoring encounter this time around.
Forebet predicts that Newcastle and Burnley will play out a 1-1 draw on Saturday.