Fresh from their EFL Cup fourth-round exit in midweek, Burnley will endeavour to turn their fortunes around when they play host to Crystal Palace at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Saturday.
The two teams meet for the first time in the top flight since playing out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park in February last year.
Match preview
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Burnley manager Vincent Kompany would have hoped that their 2-1 win away against Luton Town at the beginning of October could act as a springboard for a positive run of form.
However, the Clarets have since endured a four-game losing run, with last weekend's 2-1 loss at Bournemouth in the Premier League followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Everton in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday.
James Tarkowski haunted his former club a day after Halloween when he headed Everton in front inside the first 13 minutes, before second-half strikes from Amadou Onana and Ashley Young condemned the Clarets to a third successive fourth-round exit from the EFL Cup.
Some may regard Burnley's cup exit as a blessing in disguise as they can now focus fully on their attempts to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone heading into the festive period; just four points have been accumulated by Kompany's side in their first 10 games this season and they sit 19th in the table, two points adrift of safety.
Most clubs would welcome a return to home soil, but Burnley have endured a torrid start at Turf Moor this term, losing each of their opening five Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 16-4; another defeat on Saturday would see them become the first English top-flight team in history to lose each of their first six home matches in a campaign.
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After claiming maximum points in an impressive 1-0 win at Manchester United at the end of September, Crystal Palace failed to come out on top in any of their three Premier League games in the month of October, picking up just one point from a possible nine in the process.
A goalless stalemate with Nottingham Forest was followed by back-to-back losses against high-flying Newcastle United and league leaders Tottenham Hotspur, suffering a 2-1 home defeat to the latter last week.
The Eagles managed to contain Spurs until the 53rd minute when Joel Ward turned James Maddison's cross into his own net, before Son Heung-min added a second 13 minutes later; Jordan Ayew pulled one back for the hosts in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, but there was no time left to mount a comeback.
Roy Hodgson will be aware that his Palace side have faced two of the Premier League's in-form teams in their last two matches, and few would have envisaged them to claim any points during this period, but nevertheless, the 76-year-old has seen his side slip to 13th in the table, albeit still seven points clear of the drop zone.
Palace head into Saturday's contest having failed to win any of their last five meetings with Burnley, but they have picked up seven points from their last four top-flight visits to Turf Moor and have scored at least twice in three of those four trips to Lancashire.
Team News
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Burnley midfielder Josh Cullen will serve a one-match suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Lyle Foster has missed the last two games due to illness and will not be involved again on Saturday.
Michael Obafemi played for 30 minutes in an Under-21s match last week after recovering from a hamstring problem, but it remains to be seen whether he is fit to return to the senior squad, while Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal (both knee), Aaron Ramsey (knock) and Manuel Benson (ankle) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.
The absence of Cullen could see Sander Berge link arms with Josh Brownhill and Johann Berg Gudmundsson in midfield, while Connor Roberts – who is available for selection after serving a one-match ban last weekend – Charlie Taylor, Zeki Amdouni and Anass Zaroury will all be pushing for recalls after not starting in midweek.
As for Crystal Palace, Hodgson has confirmed that star attacker Eberechi Eze will be in the matchday squad after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury, while Michael Olise (also hamstring) is closing in on a return and could be back before the international break. However, Dean Henderson (thigh), James Tomkins (calf) and Nathan Ferguson (unspecified) all remain in the treatment room.
Tyrick Mitchell picked up a knock in the defeat to Spurs last time out, but the left-back is fit to feature against Burnley and he is expected to line up in the back four alongside ever-present centre-back duo Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi, and either Ward or Nathaniel Clyne at right-back.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and forward Jordan Ayew, who both extended their Palace contracts earlier this week, are set to retain their places in the first XI, and the latter could be joined in attack by two of Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta or Matheus Franca.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Al-Dakhil, O'Shea, Taylor; Brownhill, Berge, Gudmundsson; Tresor, Amdouni, Koleosho
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Doucoure, Lerma; Ayew, Edouard, Franca
We say: Burnley 1-2 Crystal Palace
Burnley can ill-afford to drop too many more points if they wish to climb out of the bottom three, and they will regard Saturday's fixture as a good opportunity to claim a positive result.
However, the same can be said for the Eagles, who we believe will bounce back from successive losses to claim maximum points against a defensively vulnerable Clarets 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
