Championship leaders Burnley will look to build on their impressive run of form when they welcome Coventry City to Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.
The Clarets currently sit five points clear of second-placed Sheffield United, while the Sky Blues are down in 14th place but only four points behind the playoffs.
Match preview
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Burnley have managed to carry their remarkable form from the backend of 2022 into the New Year, with a 2-1 league victory away at Swansea City followed by a 4-2 triumph at Premier League side Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round last weekend.
Braces from Anass Zaroury and Manuel Benson inspired the Clarets to an impressive win at the Vitality Stadium, and they have been rewarded with a seemingly favourable fourth-round draw against League One side Ipswich Town later this month.
The third of six January fixtures in next on the agenda for Vincent Kompany's side, who head into Saturday's clash against Coventry after winning 10 of their last 11 Championship matches – a 5-2 loss a Sheffield United in November the only exception during this run.
Burnley, who currently sit 14 points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers, are the only team in the second tier who are yet to lose on home soil so far this season, accumulating 31 points from 13 matches at Turf Moor.
The Clarets have also lost only one of their last nine league meetings against Coventry City – a 1-0 away defeat back in November 2010 – so they should be full of confidence this weekend.
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Coventry, meanwhile, head to Turf Moor having won only one of their last seven matches across all competitions, a slender 1-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion just before Christmas.
In 2023, the Sky Blues began with a 1-1 league draw against Bristol City on New Year's Day before losing 4-3 at home against non-league Wrexham in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
The National League outfit were 4-1 up just before the hour mark, with Jonathan Panzo given his marching orders in the 57th minute after handling inside the area, allowing Paul Mullin to convert the resulting spot kick. Coventry fought back with 10 men and scored twice within a seven-minute period, but they ultimately came up short against a side three divisions below them.
Mark Robins is hoping that his side can turn their fortunes around quickly as they bid to stay in touch with the Championship playoff positions, although the prospect of victory on Saturday seems slim considering the form of their next opponents Burnley, who won 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Only Preston North End have kept as many clean sheets as Coventry (12) in the Championship so far this season, and the Sky Blues will look to frustrate Burnley this weekend with another resilient defensive display.
Team News
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Burnley centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis was withdrawn in the first half of last weekend's win at Bournemouth with a foot injury and is a doubt for Saturday's fixture, while Vitinho is set to miss out with a leg injury.
Luke McNally is the most likely candidate to step into central defence if Harwood-Bellis is not deemed fit to start, with Connor Roberts and former Coventry loanee Ian Maatsen set to begin at full-back.
Nathan Tella, who scored the only goal in Burnley's 1-0 win at Coventry in October, will battle with Zaroury for a place on the left flank, while Arijanet Muric, Jack Cork and Jay Rodriguez could all be recalled to the first XI.
As for Coventry, Panzo is suspended following his red card last weekend, while Kyle McFadzean (calf), Callum O'Hare, Tyler Walker (both ACL), Matt Godden and Josh Eccles (both ankle) are all ruled out through injury, although the latter is closing in on a return.
Coventry announced the loan signings of Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Josh Wilson-Esbrand from Arsenal and Manchester City respectively earlier this week and both full-backs are in contention to make their debut at Turf Moor, while Todd Kane has joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the rest of the season.
Top scorer Viktor Gyokeres, who has netted 12 goals in 25 league games so far this season, is expected to start up front and could be partnered in attack by Martyn Waghorn.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Bastien, Cullen; Manuel, Brownhill, Zaroury; Rodriguez
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Moore; Rose, Doyle, Bidwell; Norton-Cuffy, Sheaf, Allan, Hamer, Wilson-Esbrand; Waghorn, Gyokeres
We say: Burnley 2-0 Coventry City
Burnley edged past Coventry the last time that they locked horns earlier this season and another closely-fought contest is to be expected on Saturday.
However, the Clarets will be regarded as favourites to come out on top again this weekend, with a routine win on the cards for Kompany's side at Turf Moor.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
