The Clarets are back on the road on New Year`s Day when they play Newcastle at St James Park. They will certainly be looking to capitalise on their incredible point in the Etihad on Sunday and maintain the momentum.
The Pre-amble:
Can we kick-off 2015 with a bang after picking up a sensational point in a 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Etihad on Sunday bringing 2014 to a superb end? We have yet another game on the road and face Newcastle United at St James Park on New Year`s Day but in comparison to the City game the task to get something from this clash this time might not be too hard. Football though rarely follows what looks to be possible on paper and we know that every game in this league requires Sean Dyche`s men to be on top of their game and take their chances. There is no doubt they have been playing their hearts out recently and have been unlucky not to pick up more points during the festive season following narrow defeats away to Spurs and then at home to Liverpool. The game in the Etihad though has surely raised spirits and given the side renewed confidence after coming from two goals down to earn a point against last season`s Premier League Champions.
Burnley although second from bottom have enough clubs above them within catching distance to give all Clarets fans some hope they can avoid the drop especially if they continue to play like they did against City. They currently have 16 points from 19 games, which is 3 more than bottom club Leicester. Two clubs are then above Burnley on goal difference only. Palace, now manager-less after sacking Neil Warnock over the weekend are third from bottom with Hull just outside the drop zone. Next come West Brom who also decided to sack their manager, Alan Irvine over the weekend and they have just one point more than Burnley whilst QPR in 15th spot have two points more. The Clarets would do themselves a big favour if they could pick up anything at St James Park on Thursday and that would certainly put pressure on those clubs immediately around us.
Newcastle have blown hot and cold this season. They looked to be struggling earlier in the season before under pressure manager, Alan Pardew turned things round and steered his team into the top ten. Recently though they have put in some indifferent performances and have slipped back a bit. They are currently 10th with 26 points from 19 games and it looks like they too could be without a manger on New Year`s Day. Pardew looks odds on favourite to take over at Crystal Palace and it looks like John Carver and Steve Stone will be in temporary charge.
Since the 1-1 draw at Turf Moor back in early December, Newcastle have lost four games and only managed to win two. Admittedly one of those was the 2-1 win at home against league leaders, Chelsea and the other was their last game 3-2 at home to Everton on Sunday. It is anybody`s guess which Toon team will turn out on New Year`s Day but Burnley at the moment certainly have every chance of picking something up at St James Park.
Newcastle United Team News:
Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse could face a three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for an incident in Sunday`s game at home to Everton. He has until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge. Cisse did not receive any card for the incident but it was clear from the cameras how serious it was. He clearly appeared to use an elbow on Everton defender Seamus Coleman in what looked like a pre-meditated foul. It will certainly be a blow for Newcastle if they lose him against Burnley. Cisse, 29, scored his fifth goal in six Premier League games as Newcastle ended a four-game losing run on Sunday.
Midfielder Jonas Gutierrez could be back in contention for a first-team place by the end of January but will not be in contention to face Burnley. He is still recovering from surgery and chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer. The 31 year old played for the club’s Under-21s recently, his first competitive game since last April.
There is still also a bit of a goalkeeping crisis at St James Park. Netherlands goalkeeper and first choice Tim Krul, 26, is out with an ankle injury suffered in training at the start of December, while deputy Rob Elliot, 28, tore a thigh muscle during the recent 2-1 win against Chelsea. Even third choice keeper Jak Alnwick has recently been out with a shoulder injury but is now fully fit. Alnwick looks set to start against the Clarets with fourth choice keeper, 17-year-old Freddie Woodman on the bench.
Player to watch: Ayoze Pérez
Pérez is in good goal-scoring form at the moment and is currently their second highest goal scorer this season with five goals. The 21 year old Spanish U21 striker has been a revelation since arriving from Tenerife in June 2014 for an estimated ?2 million fee. If leading goal scorer, Papiss Cisse is suspended all eyes will be on him to do the business against the Clarets! We simply have to have a strategy to keep him quiet come-what-may!
Burnley Team News:
Media reports keep suggesting Matty Taylor has now made a full recovery from his Achilles operation so if true he simply doesn`t feature in Sean Dyche`s team plans at the moment. Michael Duff meanwhile has been sidelined for the last seven games with a calf injury and it will be interesting to see if he is available for the New Year`s Day clash but it`s looking doubtful. Stephen Ward (fractured ankle) is also thought to be some way away from making a return.
Player to watch: Ashley Barnes
He seems to have been rejuvenated in recent games and is now showing his worth with some spectacular and important goals. Newcastle will certainly be wary of him on New Year`s Day!
Team & Tactics:
I would fully expect Sean Dyche to name the same starting eleven on Thursday providing on-loan defender, Michael Keane is still available and he has not returned to Manchester United. Why tinker with the team when they have performed so well these past few games? Sam Vokes having made a return on Boxing Day against Liverpool and playing the last ten minutes of the game was a surprise omission on Sunday not even making the bench but I suspect he could be back in the eighteen again and certainly on the bench against Newcastle. With Ashley Barnes in such stunning form though, Vokes looks like he will have to bide his time before being given a start. I would suggest the eighteen will look something like this :
Heaton, Trippier, Long (or Keane if available), Shackell, Mee, Arfield, Marney, Jones, Boyd, Ings, Barnes
Subs from: Gilks, Lafferty, Long, Reid, Chalobah, Wallace, Kightly, Jutkiewicz, Sordell, Vokes
Ref Watch:
Mike Dean will be in charge of our first match of 2015. His last game involving the Clarets was our 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park earlier this season. The referee from ‘The Wirral` handed out five yellow cards in that clash. So far this season he has been ‘the man in the middle` 16 times sending off five players and dishing out 70 yellow cards.
Match Prediction:
Well I would certainly be happy with a point but shading it would really be the icing on the cake and give everyone confidence of survival in 2015. 2-1 Clarets!
Next Match:
We now enter a relatively period of calm with the rest of January involving league games against clubs currently in the bottom seven places. They will all be crucial though! Palace at home and Sunderland away are coming up but first we have a real six pointer at Turf Moor on the 10th January when we play QPR at Turf Moor (Kick-Off: 3pm).
Before that though we have a FA Cup third round match to think about with Spurs the vistors to Turf Moor on Monday 5th January (Kick-Off: 7-45pm)
