AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat at Sheffield United when they visit Burnley on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Clarets are one of the form teams in the Premier League, having won three and drawn one of their past four games.
Despite triumphing 1-0 at Vitality Stadium thanks to Jay Rodriguez’s late goal in December, Sean Dyche’s team lost their next four games in the top flight.
However, despite being just four points above the drop zone following their 3-0 reverse at the hands of Chelsea on January 11th, Burnley turned the tide in quite dramatic fashion.
Goals from Chris Wood and Ashley Westwood saw them come from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 at Turf Moor before they lowered the colours of Manchester United just three days later.
Wood and Rodriguez were on target either side of half-time in a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, the Clarets’ first win at the famous venue since September 1962.
And the purple patch continued with a 0-0 draw against Arsenal on home soil before Westwood and Matej Vydra netted in a 2-0 triumph over Southampton at St Mary’s five days ago.
Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Andy Jones, who covers the fortunes of the Clarets for The Athletic.
afcb.co.uk: In your opinion, what has been the biggest factor behind the recent revival?
AJ: I think it is a combination of factors more than one thing in particular. There has certainly been more energy in the team’s performances and the desire and commitment which you always associate with a Sean Dyche team has been there in abundance.
They have bounced back very well from a poor run of form just after Christmas. There has also been plenty of creativity.
Jay Rodriguez has helped with that by dropping into pockets and helping to link play.
The partnership down the left-hand side of Dwight McNeil and Charlie Taylor has also been very important and it is continuing to develop.
The key for Burnley is that they never allow themselves to get too low if they are on a bad run.
They had lost four games in a row but they remained confident in themselves that they could turn things around.
They have made sure to get the basics right and added quality in both boxes with their finishing sharper and tightening up their defensive work.
James Tarkwoski and Ben Mee have been excellent. Nick Pope has also been in very good form and his penalty save from Jamie Vardy in the 2-1 win against Leicester has acted as a catalyst to this current run of form.
afcb.co.uk: Do you think the club would welcome another Europa League adventure, bearing in mind the impact it had on last season’s start in the Premier League?
AJ: The main aim for Burnley every season is to make sure they survive in the Premier League.
After the victory over Southampton, Ashley Westwood said the club could now start looking up the table with a gap now established. If Burnley can piece together a couple more wins then they will certainly be in the mix.
It is a difficult one because you can never turn down a European adventure. Burnley fans speak very fondly of the trips to Turkey and Greece from the beginning of last season and the players also thoroughly enjoyed it.
It did have an impact at the beginning of last season and then injuries built up on top of that which left Burnley in trouble at Christmas.
However, it was a completely new experience for virtually everybody and you feel that if it were to happen again, the coaching staff and players would be much better prepared.
Dyche is never too eager to look too far ahead though and he and his players will just be taking one game at a time.
afcb.co.uk: Sean Dyche appears to have some attacking options against the Cherries – who would you go with and why?
AJ: Well, actually, Burnley are struggling for options in the attacking department going into the game.
Ashley Barnes is currently recovering from a hernia operation which he underwent last month and there is still no official timescale on his return.
Chris Wood limped off in the first half against Southampton with a hamstring injury and Dyche confirmed in his press conference today that he would be “touch and go”.
That did provide an opportunity to Matej Vydra who came on and scored the winner with an excellent finish.
It was his first Burnley goal in 511 days and he has had to remain very patient for his chance.
This looks like it will be an opportunity for his first start of the season and, after his goal, he deserves it, especially given the injury situation.
He will, in all likelihood, line up alongside Rodriguez who has been in very good form in Burnley’s favoured 4-4-2.
The midfield four of Jeff Hendrick, Jack Cork, Ashley Westwood and Dwight McNeil is unlikely to be tweaked as Dyche usually sticks with a winning team unless his hand is forced due to an injury. They have all been in good form in recent weeks.
afcb.co.uk: On current form, who is Burnley’s player to watch?
AJ: I think there are a couple of players who you could pick out as the player to watch.
Rodriguez definitely deserves a mention. Since coming in for Barnes, he has provided a spark and has been very influential in Burnley’s play.
He has been full of energy, desire and commitment and has provided an extra edge to Burnley.
He has led the line well with Wood and then Vydra and netted a sensational goal against Manchester United at the end of January so carries a goal threat.
It is also difficult to ignore McNeil who is a key part to Burnley's attack.
He constantly provides a threat on the left either down the line with his direct running and dribbling but also coming in off the flank and into the middle of the pitch to get the ball and try to influence play.
His delivery causes problems for defenders and he has been full of confidence in recent weeks, working well with left-back Taylor.
There is also Vydra, who will be riding high on confidence after his goal last week. If he starts, it will be interesting to see how he follows up his match-winning performance as he will look to capitalise on the opportunity he has earned.
afcb.co.uk: Are any first-choice players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?
They will be without striker Barnes who underwent a hernia operation last month. He is back in training with the physios but no return date has been set.
The only other definite absentee is Matt Lowton who has a knee injury which saw him miss the game against Southampton.
Chris Wood has been described by Dyche as “touch and go” after suffering a hamstring injury against Southampton so could be involved in some capacity, either as a starter or on the bench.
It is difficult to tell exactly how close players are when Dyche uses that phrase. The club are expecting to find out more tomorrow as to whether Wood will be involved or not.
There are no suspensions and the good news for Burnley is that Johann Berg Gudmundsson is expected to be involved.
He has trained fully with the first-team squad for the past two weeks and may feature on the bench after a frustrating season with injuries.
afcb.co.uk: Did Burnley do any significant business in the transfer window?
AJ: Burnley were fairly quiet until the final days of the transfer window.
They signed Bristol City midfielder Josh Brownhill on the penultimate day of the window for an undisclosed fee.
He has yet to make an appearance but was on the bench for the game against Southampton.
He has settled well into his new club and the winter break allowed him to get more training time with his new team-mates.
In terms of outgoings, Danny Drinkwater’s loan move came to an end and he returned to Chelsea before joining Aston Villa.
Burnley also recalled Nakhi Wells from his loan at QPR and he was subsequently sold to Bristol City in a deal separate to Brownhill.
Ben Gibson did not move on in the window but was granted permission by the club to train with Middlesbrough after making it clear he wanted to leave Turf Moor to play first-team football.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
AJ: Burnley have done very well against Bournemouth in recent games and won the corresponding fixture 4-0 towards the beginning of last season.
I think this will be much tighter and Bournemouth will surely be looking for revenge after Burnley’s 1-0 victory earlier this season with Rodriguez scoring in the 89th minute from the only shot on target in the game.
Burnley have been on a very good run though and, at home, I expect it to continue. I will go for a 2-1 home win.
You can follow Andy on Twitter – @adjones_journo
Match officials: Mike Dean (referee), Darren Cann (assistant), Mark Scholes (assistant), Tony Harrington (fourth official), Chris Kavanagh (VAR), Daniel Cook (assistant VAR).
