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Liverpool vs Burnley – Premier League Match Preview

Liverpool will look to put the disappointment of the past week behind them as they look to continue their home one hundred percent record in the Premier League as they play host to Burnley this afternoon.

In a week where Jurgen Klopp’s men have been soundly beaten by Manchester City and then failed to get the better of Sevilla in the Champions League the perfect tonic would be all three points later today.

As things stand Burnley are above Liverpool in the Premier League by virtue of goal difference and that goal difference was soundly wiped out last weekend at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City after they ran riot at The Etihad on their way to a 5-0 win.

Of course much and arguably too much has been made of Sadio Mane’s sending off after his high boot on City’s goalkeeper Ederson. John Moss’ decision to send off the Senegalese international has split opinion but the more you watch the clip the less of an argument you can have.

That however did not stop Liverpool appealing to the F.A. in a bid to get the three match ban reduced. That was subsequently turned down by the powers that be and Mane will now not return until the 8th game of the season. That could mean a first start of the campaign for Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian entered proceedings against Sevilla to a relatively warm welcome on Wednesday but he could not provide a fairytale ending to what was a frustrating evening for Liverpool. Quite simply it was a fixture they should have won especially as Roberto Firmino missed a penalty. In the grand if scheme of things it should not matter too much as this was more an exercise to see who will top the group.

Today though the focus shifts to a Burnley side who have only lost one of their first four matches and it looks like they have replaced Andre Gray with relative ease. That is because the capture of Chris Wood looks in early evidence to be an astute one. The New Zealand international has scored two in first two games and the £15m spent seems to be incredibly good value.

He probably will not have scored an easier goal than the one gifted to him by Chung-Yong Lee. His horror show of a backpass put the opportunity on a plate for Wood to sneak in and score the goal which would ultimately prove to be the difference. It was sloppy from Palace but no top level striker is going to argue about a gift such as that one.

The only blot on that win for Burnley was the injury to Tom Heaton one that has ruled the England international out for a extended period of time. His performances last season were instrumental in helping Burnley stay up and you have to wonder just how much he will be missed not just today but for the duration of his absence.

I don’t think the absence of Heaton in isolation will be enough to stop Burnley picking up a result today but it certainly will not help. I think the pressure will be on Liverpool to deliver today but I think they will rise to the challenge and pick up a first win in three matches across all competitions. A home win for me

 

Here is what social media thinks will happen

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