Match Preview for Burnley v Liverpool
The Premier League champions return to action after the International break with a trip to newly promoted Burnley on Sunday.
Unsurprisingly, the pre-match conversation will be dominated by the question of whether striker Alexander Isak will make his Reds debut following his British record £125m signing from Newcastle that brought an end to the summer transfer window’s most captivating saga.
Isak trained for the first time with his new club on Wednesday but the 25-year-old is severely lacking match fitness having missed both the entirety of the Magpies’ preseason and the opening three weeks of the season.
The forward did, however, feature get an 18-minute runout for Sweden against Kosovo on Monday and Liverpool boss Arne Slot hailed Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson for his careful treatment of Isak while on international duty.
Irrespective of the role Isak will play, if any, Slot will be looking for his side to maintain their perfect start to the season at Turf Moor. A narrow 1-0 victory over title challengers Arsenal, courtesy of a sublime Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick will have only boosted Liverpool’s confidence, and they will go into the game as firm favourites to take all three points.
Burnley, meanwhile, will have taken plenty of positives from their trip to Old Trafford last time out, which saw them denied a point by a 97th-minute Bruno Fernandes penalty.
Despite a 3-2 loss, Scott Parker’s clarets ran Manchester United mightily close and he will be hoping for a similar plucky performance on Sunday as they look to cause something of an upset and add to the three points they have already earned this season.
Team news for Burnley v Liverpool
Experienced defender Kyle Walker should be fresh for the hosts having been left out of the England squad for the World Cup double-header against Andorra and Serbia. However, Zeki Amdouni remains sidelined with injury.
While the debut talk will be focussed on a certain Reds forward, the game could also see a first appearance for Burnley’s Florentino Luis, who joined the club on loan from Benfica.
Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts could also return, while Lyle Foster and Jaidon Anthony will hope their goals against the Red Devils have earned them another start.
For the visitors, amid all the buzz around Isak, Slot also welcomes back full-back Jeremie Frimpong after missing the victories over Newcastle and Arsenal through injury.
Defender Ibrahima Konate has been deemed fit despite limping off against the Gunners, however, midfielder Curtis Jones will miss out.
Expected line-ups for Burnley v Liverpool
Burnley: Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen, Florentino; Bruun Larsen, Foster, Anthony
Liverpool: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
How to watch Burnley v Liverpool: TV channel, online stream
The game will kick-off at 14:00pm on Sunday at Turf Moor. UK fans can watch the match live on Sky Sports/Now TV. Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
The stats for Burnley v Liverpool
- The last time Liverpool faced a Scott Parker team was in 2022 when they ran out 9-0 winners against his Bournemouth side.
- Burnley have lost 14 of the 18 meetings between the two clubs in the Premier League era.
- Liverpool have won their last six league trips to Turf Moor, keeping clean sheets in each of their last four.
- The Reds are looking to win their opening four Premier League games in a season for a third time, also doing so in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
- Slot’s side have now scored in 37 consecutive Premier League matches, the club’s longest run in top-flight history. It’s a record bettered only by Tottenham Hotspur (39) and Arsenal (55).
Prediction
With or without Isak, Liverpool will give Burnley a lot to think about all over the pitch. The clarets may have home advantage, but Slot’s men have started the season how they ended the last one, and should have enough quality to overcome their opponents.
Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Liverpool
