Dyche Plots Even More Misery for Moyes.
Burnley travel to the London Stadium on Saturday to take on relegation
haunted West Ham United along with a full contingent of travelling Clarets’ fans.
(Kick-off 15.00 GMT)
Sean Dyche will be plotting to add even more misery for the Irons’
gaffer David Moyes, a manager who has never been considered a favourite with
the legion of Burnley fans who will take their places in the completely sold
out allocation for away supporters.
Burnley are looking to secure a
spot in Europe for next season, while at the other end of the table the Hammers
are fighting to retain their place in the English Premier League for the
2018/19 campaign. This game has all of the ingredients for a real footballing clash
of Claret and Blue.
The Clarets of Turf Moor have players
all looking to find seats for the plane journey to play in the World Cup Finals
for their various countries. Jack Cork, James Tarkowski and Nick Pope along
with Burnley skipper Tom Heaton all have their eyes set on being selected by
England supremo Gareth Southgate.
The Claret’s Johann Berg
Gudmundsson looks to be all set to secure his place with the Icelandic World
Cup squad and this season’s Burnley sensation, striker Ashley Barnes, is being
scouted on Saturday by Austrian head coach Franco Foda, who will no doubt also be
running the rule over the Hammer’s Marko Arnautovic.
Having broken their winless streak
against Everton with a battling 2-1 victory last Saturday, Sean Dyche’s Clarets
will be aiming to secure seventh spot with another away win and continue on
their march to a place in the Europa League.
With World Cup places up for
grabs and now that Sean Dyche has Arsenal firmly in his sights, I can find no
greater motivation for Burnley to go all
out for victory at the London Stadium.
Stuart Pearce and David Moyes are
issuing clarion calls for their West Ham United players to recover from their
4-1 mauling at the hands of relegation rivals Swansea City last week. This Burnley
team are nothing if not resolute and hard to beat. The ingredients are in the
mix, who will have their cake and eat it?
I expect Sean Dyche to go out on
the front foot and try and take three points home to Burnley with a victory in
the capital. Chris Wood freshly returned to the Clarets squad following injury,
came off the bench at half-time last week and in partnership with Ashley Barnes
terrorised the Toffees defence.
Barnes and Wood each bagged a
goal in the Everton game and I expect the team that finished so strongly
against the Blues to start in a 4-4-2 formation: Pope, Lowton, Mee, Tarkowski, Ward, Lennon, Cork, Westwood, Gudmundsson,
Wood and Barnes.
In football miracles do happen. Is
it even possible Aaron Lennon, a player who has settled so nicely into Dyche’s all
action playing style, could force himself back into the England World Cup reckoning?
Burnley want a win, West Ham United desperately need a win but given
Burnley’s return to winning ways, three points for the visitors looks to be the
banker bet (TEC).
Source: DSG
