On Sky
Burnley could be promoted to the Premier League if they beat Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in the Good Friday derby today and Derby County fail to pick up all three points in their game later on away to Doncaster.
The Pre-amble:
If we beat Blackpool at Bloomfield Road this Good Friday today and Derby don`t drop any points we will need just one win from the last three remaining games of the season to go up automatically. Burnley could already be celebrating automatic promotion if they win today and Derby don`t pick up all three points in their late evening game away to struggling Doncaster. Burnley fans hoping to celebrate by the seaside in the pubs and clubs of Blackpool will have to wait for that game to finish before they know the Clarets fate. Our match televised live by Sky Sports kicks-off at 5:15pm but the Doncaster v Derby game kicks-off even later at 7:30pm. Second placed Burnley on 83 points from 42 games are currently eight points clear of Derby following the disappointing home defeat against Middlesbrough last Saturday. QPR in 4th spot are ten points behind. Twelve points then are still up for grabs in the four remaining games of the season so we are not home and dry yet. Basically if we win one game between now and the end of the season and Derby fail to win one of theirs we are automatically promoted.
Blackpool at one time looking like promotion candidates themselves earlier in the season have been dropping like the proverbial stone since the end of November and they are now right in the midst of a relegation dogfight. The Tangerine Dream has turned into a Tangerine Nightmare! Paul Ince, who had been less than a year in charge as gaffer left in January to be replaced by caretaker player-manager Barry Ferguson. Ferguson announced he wouldn`t be donning his boots at the time but now he is even naming himself in the squad at the moment in an effort to avoid the drop. Their form is basically terrible. Since December they have played 25 league games and only managed two wins and five draws losing 18 matches including the 2-1 defeat by Burnley at Turf Moor back in December. They have not won any of their last five matches and lost their last three! The Tangerines are currently in 20th spot with 42 points just two clear of third from bottom club, Millwall. They will be fighting for their lives against Burnley.
Blackpool Team News:
Striker Ricardo Fuller has a knee injury and another high-profile forward Robert Earnshaw is suffering from a calf injury. Both will be sidelined for the derby game.
Defender Kirk Broadfoot (knee) has once again been ruled out but caretaker-manager Barry Ferguson is expected to shake off an ankle problem and he could once more name himself in the eighteen.
Player to watch: Matt Gilks
Clarets fans will be hoping Blackpool keeper, Matt Gilks is given a torrid time by the Burnley attack this Good Friday. It looks likely considering they have only mustered three clean sheets since the beginning of December and conceded 48 goals!
Burnley Team News:
Sam Vokes as we all know is now sadly out for the season after picking up a cruciate ligament injury in the recent home defeat against Leicester. We wish him a speedy recovery following the successful surgery on his knee a couple of weeks ago. With no news of any other injury concerns for Sean Dyche, it looks like the gaffer has once again got a full squad available to him for selection.
Player to watch: The BINGS Partnership!
From Vings to Bings! Not one but two! In the absence of the injured Sam Vokes and now the return of Danny Ings, it will be interesting to see how the Barnes/Ings partnership up front develops between now and the end of the season. Barnes is not really suited to being alone up front and it was certainly relief when Ings was back in the team allowing a return to a 4-4-2 formation. Hopefully both will do the business and help secure our automatic promotion today.
Team & Tactics:
Burnley could name an unchanged eighteen for the Blackpool clash. Although they lost 1-0 to Boro last Saturday they basically dominated the game and were unfortunate not to pick up any points against a very much in-form keeper not to mention also a couple of dubious decisions by the referee going against the Clarets. There is no news of any fresh injury concerns for the gaffer so expect a very similar if not the same line up as follows:
Heaton, Tripper, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Kightly, Marney, Jones, Arfield, Barnes, Ings
Subs: Cisak, Long, Baird, Edgar, Treacy, Wallace, Stanislas
Ref Watch:
Michael Oliver is in charge of this crucial game for both sides. The Northumberland referee now 29 became the youngest Premier League Referee when he took charge of the Fulham v Portsmouth top flight game back in January 2010. His last game involving the Clarets was also a match against Blackpool. It was back in October 2012 when we beat the Tangerines 1-0 at Turf Moor. Four yellow cards were shown that day. In his 34 games so far this season four players have been sent off with another 128 picking up yellow cards.
Match Prediction:
It would be a shock based on relative form if we fail to beat a very poor struggling Blackpool team but this is a derby and they will be trying everything to avoid the drop. We all know in the Championship anything can happen despite form but it won`t today! 2-0 Burnley!!
Next Match:
The Clarets will have three games left to play after the Blackpool clash all against play-offs hopefuls. Burnley are next back in action on Easter Monday 21st April with a home game against Wigan Athletic (Kick-Off: 3pm) and they will follow that up with a Sky Sports televised game in their last home match of the season against Ipswich on Saturday 26th April. The game will kick-off early at 12:15pm. The season comes to an end on Saturday 3rd May when the Clarets visit Reading for the final game. This also kicks-off at 12:15pm. Hopefully by then our dream of reaching the top flight will already have come true.
