The Clarets take a break from their Championship campaign on Tuesday night but will face Championship opposition in the third round of the Capital One Cup with Nottingham Forest the visitors to Turf Moor.
The Pre-amble:
Burnley will be hoping to progress to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup at Turf Moor on Tuesday night but face a tough challenge with Championship rivals, Nottingham Forest the opponents. There is no doubt Burnley are in excellent form at the moment and the team have surprised many by their success in the Championship so far this season. They are currently in 2nd spot having made their best start in 12 years and they have now gone above our COCUP opponents on Tuesday night. Billy Davies` men are currently in sixth place only two points behind the Clarets although they seem to have gone off the boil recently. Nevertheless the scene is set for a very close game. In the Capital One Cup, Forest have had two relatively easy home games so far. They beat struggling League 2 side, Hartlepool 3-1 in the first round before despatching Millwall 2-1 in the second round. It is important for both clubs that they progress to the next round and hopefully get that lucrative game against one of the big Premier League clubs! The money aspect is probably more important to the Clarets though so let`s hope we can do the business and keep our winning streak going.
Burnley Team News:
Ross Wallace remains sidelined at least until Christmas after undergoing surgery a few weeks ago to correct a ‘wear and tear` knee injury. The only other injury doubt is David Jones who was stretchered off in the Championship game away to Leeds on Saturday. It looked serious and there was a lot of concern at the time but it would appear he has just picked up a nasty gash to his ankle. The midfielder was fouled by substitute Dominic Poleon on the edge of his own box and needed lengthy treatment to a severe cut before being taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
“We think it`s just a cut. Cuts heal pretty quickly so it`s nothing too serious at this stage, said Sean Dyche.
“We`ll get it checked out further but he`s pretty settled with it so hopefully that`s all it is.”
It is possible though they might decide to rest Jones with David Edgar probably standing-in again.
Player to watch: Scott Arfield
Many fans had doubts regarding the capabilities of Scott Arfield. Terriers` fans were not too complimentary about the winger and he certainly seemed to be Huddersfield reject after being released by the club. Dyche though is proving to be an astute manager and despite the one lethal mistake in the Rovers game recently Arfield has come back with a bang scoring in the last two Championship games whilst continuing to look impressive down the flank.
Nottingham Forest Team News:
The only injury concern for Forest is centre back, Kelvin Wilson. He suffered a back injury in Forest`s recent 2-2 home draw with Middlesbrough and then missed their last game away to Doncaster. The big question is whether, Billy Davies might be tempted to change a few players around in an effort to freshen up the squad like earlier rounds. The former Derby gaffer played an entirely different starting eleven to that which started the previous league game in the second round win over Millwall in August and it is thought likely that he will adopt the same strategy again. If he does some players on the periphery of the squad in the league campaign like Danny Collins, Guy Moussi, Simon Cox and Matt Derbyshire could make a start.
Player to watch: Andy Reid
Reid is currently Forest`s leading goalscorer with four goals so far this season. The 31 year old Republic of Ireland international midfielder arrived from Blackpool in July 2011 returning for a second spell with the club having started his professional career at the City Ground before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2005. He also played for Charlton and Sunderland and had a loan spell at Sheffield United.
Team & Tactics:
It is highly likely that Dyche will field his strongest side possible against such strong opposition. This is not the time for squad rotation or blooding young guns. We don`t have much depth and options in the squad in any case. If Jones is deemed fit enough to play, we could select the same eighteen for the fourth consecutive game but my feeling is Jones could be rested with Edgar once again taking over the central midfield role. Both Jones and Marney are sitting on four yellow cards too and the gaffer might not want to risk both central midfielders picking up a fifth yellow card and facing an automatic one match ban.
I will opt therefore for the following eighteen:
Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee, Kightly, Marney, Edgar, Arfield, Ings, Vokes
Subs: Cisak, Lafferty, Long, Stock, Stanislas, Treacy, Noble
Ref Watch:
Lincolnshire referee, Darren Drysdale is in charge of this COCUP third round clash. The referee was pretty controversial in his last game involving the Clarets. The match was played at Turf Moor against Birmingham City last January and it was a bad day for the Clarets all round despite Ross Wallace scoring a penalty. We lost the game 2-1 and Dean Marney was also sent off. In his six games so far this season, two players have already been sent off and another 19 have seen yellow. His stats for the previous season were 6 reds and 105 yellows from 36 games.
Match Prediction:
The Clarets are on a high and in stunning form at the moment! Forest will certainly know they have been in a game but it could be close. I will go with a 2-1 win in normal time although I wouldn`t be surprised if this went into extra time and maybe even penalties.
Next Match:
Back to the Championship on Saturday 28th September for a home game against Charlton Athletic (Kick-Off: 3pm)
