Burnley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Out-of-sorts Wolverhampton Wanderers take a trip to Turf Moor to lock horns with Premier League survival hopefuls Burnley.

What not long ago seemed like ‘mission impossible’ is becoming a reality after 10-man Burnley fought back twice to hold Chelsea to a spirited 2-2 draw at the weekend, assembling a three-game unbeaten league streak for the first time this season (W1, D2). Vincent Kompany’s charges must show their fighting spirit again to avenge a narrow 1-0 loss in December’s reverse fixture and increase the likelihood of whittling down a four-point deficit on safety down the final stretch. Though Turf Moor hasn’t been the Clarets’ safe haven this season by any stretch of the imagination (W2, D2, L11), they can draw confidence from going unbeaten in three of their last five home league assignments (W1, D2, L2), including a 2-1 triumph against Brentford in their most recent such game, which halted a six-match winless run on home soil (D2, L4).

Redemption is in order for visiting Wolverhampton following a 2-0 defeat in last weekend’s all-West Midlands showdown against Aston Villa, which marked their third loss across their four competitive clashes since the start of March (W1). Gary O’Neil’s once impregnable backline conceded at least twice in each defeat, casting doubt on their effort to register their first shutout at Turf Moor since 2006. Wolves’ dire form in Lancashire has seen them lose three of their last four Premier League visits to Burnley (D1), two of which yielded scoring blanks. Another upset without a reply is on the cards, considering the Wanderers have lost their two most recent away league games by 2+ goals ‘to nil.’