Good morning! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's Premier League early kickoff as Burnley host Everton at Turf Moor!
Only two places and three points separate these two sides in the top half of the table and both should be safe from being dragged into a very busy relegation battle, but neither come into this match in particularly good form.
We will take a closer look at that in a short while, but first let's check out the team news...
BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Lennon, Cork, Hendrick, Westwood, Gudmundsson; Barnes
BURNLEY SUBS: Long, NKoudou, Marney, Vokes, Wood, Lindegaard, Bardsley
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Coleman, Williams, Keane, Martina; Gueye, Davies, Sigurdsson, Walcott, Calvert-Lewin; Tosun
EVERTON SUBS: Joel, Baines, Schneiderlin, Rooney, Bolasie, Niasse, Holgate
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, the headlines news comes from the Everton camp so we'll start with the visitors as Sam Allardyce drops Wayne Rooney to the bench for this one.
The former Manchester United man is replaced in the starting lineup by Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Allardyce switches up his formation once again with what looks more like a 4-4-2 formation this afternoon.
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Allardyce has previously suggested that Rooney and Sigurdsson cannot play together, and it is Sigurdsson who gets the nod out of that pairing today to keep his place in the side from the defeat to Watford last weekend.
There is another change in the attacking part of the field, though, with Cenk Tosun being handed a rare start in place of Oumar Niasse. The Turkish striker has started just twice for Everton since his £27m move from Besiktas in January and is yet to score a goal for the Toffees, but he is given another chance today.
Allardyce has made three changes in total from the defeat to Watford, with Seamus Coleman stepping up his recovery from his lengthy injury absence by starting in place of Kenny at right-back.
It is an otherwise unchanged back four in terms of starters, with Williams and Keane in the middle and Martina on the left, but there is a notable inclusion on the bench as Leighton Baines continues his recovery from a long-term injury of his own.
Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies are again preferred to Schneiderlin in the middle of the park today, with Sigurdsson, Walcott and Calvert-Lewin charged with supporting Tosun.
There is some good attacking talent on the bench too should Plan A not be working for the Toffees, with Bolasie joining Niasse and Rooney among the substitutes.
Looking to keep that Everton attack at bay will be a Burnley defence which welcomes James Tarkowski back into its ranks after missing the last four games with a groin injury.
Tarkowski played the entirety of a behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston on Tuesday and comes straight back into the starting lineup today as Burnley are finally able to once again field what is arguably their strongest back four.
There were questioned asked of that Burnley defence when Michael Keane left for Everton last summer, but today will be another opportunity for Mee and Tarkowski to show that they are more than capable of coping without the man who lines up against them today.
Nick Pope once again gets the gloves behind them and has been in fine form this season since replacing Heaton, so much so that it will be interesting to see who is the number one once Heaton finally returns - something which is not too far away now.
Former Everton man Aaron Lennon starts again for Burnley this afternoon in an unchanged midfield which also sees Jack Cork maintain his record of starting every game in the Premier League this season.
Alongside him in the middle of the park will be Westwood and Hendrick, but the main threat could come from Gudmundsson, who has two goals and five assists to his name in the top flight this season.
Ashley Barnes is once again given the nod up front for the Clarets as
Sean Dyche makes just the one change to his lineup, with the striker's goal against Southampton last time out seeing him equal
Chris Wood as the club's top scorer in the league this season.
The fact that Barnes still only has four goals for the campaign is alarming, though, and betrays Burnley's biggest problem of scoring goals.
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That goalscoring issue is nothing new for Burnley, but for a team sitting in seventh it is remarkable how little a threat they have posed to the opposition goal on so many occasions this season.
It is, of course, mainly down to their style of play, but only Swansea City have scored fewer goals in the entire league this season, with the Clarets finding the back of the net just 22 times in their 28 appearances.
On the flip side, though, only the Manchester clubs and Tottenham Hotspur have conceded fewer goals in the entire league this season, which has helped keep the Clarets at arm's length of a relegation battle which encompasses the entire bottom half of the table.
Fans will even accept such a measly goal tally if it translates into a seventh-placed finish, with the Clarets now only one win away from the magic 40-point mark despite their recent dip in form.
Burnley have seemingly been safe for a long time now, but getting to the 40-point mark has been a long time coming due to a run of form which has seen them fail to win any of their last 11 Premier League games - the longest current winless run in the division.
Dyche's side were within touching distance of their first win since mid-December last weekend, but a last-gasp Gabbiadini goal denied them victory at the death against Southampton. Even so, Burnley are still six points and five places better off than at the same stage of last season, and there is no doubt that the fans, players and manager would have taken their current position at this stage if it was offered to them at the start of the season.
Dyche will still want to arrest this form, though, having seen his side drop 27 of the last 33 points on offer in the Premier League.
The Clarets have only ever been on a longer Premier League winless run once - a 12-game streak which ended in January 2010 - while in all competitions they are on their longest winless run since one of 19 games ended in March 2007.
Burnley are also winless in their last five home games, picking up just two points from the 15 on offer in that time, so even their usually-solid record at Turf Moor has been badly hit by this poor form.
Burnley have not gone six home games without a win since October 2014, although it should be noted that they have hosted Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City in that time, drawing with the latter and following that up with the stalemate against Southampton.
Burnley's home form has actually been questionable all season, with only five teams picking up fewer points, three teams losing more games in front of their own fans and no team scoring fewer than Burnley's tally of 10 Turf Moor goals.
Indeed, the Clarets have scored more than twice in any of their last 22 Premier League home games, stretching back to December 2016, so do not expect a goalfest this afternoon.
Surprisingly, Burnley have won the lowest percentage of their points at home in the entire league this season, with only 19 of their 37 - 51% - coming here at Turf Moor.
It just so happens that they are coming up against a team which has won the lowest percentage of their points away from home this season, though, with only eight of Everton's 34 points - that's just 24% - coming on their travels.
This will be
Sean Dyche's 250th match in charge of Burnley - during which time he has been linked with a move to a plethora of other clubs, including Everton.
However, one stat he will be keen to get rid of during his time in charge is that his side have failed to win any of the 53 Premier League matches in which they have conceded the opening goal under Dyche, drawing 11 of those and losing 42. The first goal could be crucial today, then.
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Scoring goals has not exactly been a speciality of Everton's either, though, with only Burnley having found the back of the net fewer times in the top half of the Premier League this season.
Unlike Burnley, though, Everton have been poor at the back as well, with only three teams conceding more goals in the entire league. Sam Allardyce has a reputation for tightening things up at the back, but he has chopped and changed his defence so far and still seems to be unsure on his best unit.
Despite Allardyce having lifted Everton out of the relegation zone and into the top half since succeeding Ronald Koeman, questions are beginning to surface over his future at the club beyond the end of the season - so Dyche may have a gear himself up for more speculation over his own future as a result.
Allardyce does have a contract which extends beyond the end of the current campaign, but his side's recent results - and the playing style which has been implemented by Allardyce - have been criticised. Marco Silva is understood to be the favourite to replace him.
Everton come into this match having won only two of their last 11 games across all competitions, losing six of those in a run which stretches back to December 18.
Both of those wins have come in Everton's last four games, though, and in the Premier League their record over the past five games is evenly stacked at two wins, two defeats and a draw - having lost three league games in a row around the turn of the year.
Despite that poor form, Everton should still be safe from relegation this season, barring an unlikely set of results. The Toffees are still seven points clear of the bottom three which, while not being an unassailable gap, leaves them significantly better off than many teams in the division.
The Toffees are only two wins away from the 40-point mark, but the fact that that is their target at this stage of the season goes to show what a disappointing campaign it has been. Everton had hopes of challenging the top six this term, but they are a whopping 13 points worse off than at the same stage of last season.
As I alluded to earlier, Everton have been particularly poor on the road this season, and they come into this match having lost each of their last five away games across all competitions.
That includes four away defeats in the Premier League, and another this afternoon would see them fall to five on the bounce for the first time since January 2015. their poor away form stretches back further than just this latest run, though, having now won only one of their last 22 league games on their travels, losing 12 of those.
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Only West Brom and Stoke have picked up fewer away points in the Premier League this season, while only two teams have scored fewer goals and only two teams have conceded more on the road too.
It is their record on their travels which has really cost them this season as they would sit seventh if only home form counted, whereas using only away records Everton would be in the relegation zone with eight points and eight defeats on the road.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Turf Moor, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Neither of these sides are in particularly good form, and the home-away records are both so poor that they could end up cancelling each other out. I am not expecting goals galore, but I'm going to plump for a score draw.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Burnley 1-1 Everton
Burnley have only lost one of their last seven top-flight home games against Everton, with that coming in October 2014 when the Toffees came away with a 3-1 victory.
Burnley have won two of their three Premier League home games against Everton too, including a 2-1 triumph in the corresponding fixture last season when Arfield scored a late winner after Bolasie had cancelled out a Vokes opener.
Everton were also beaten at home to Burnley in the reverse fixture this season courtesy of a Jeff Hendrick goal - the Clarets' first win at Goodison Park since January 1976.
Another win for Sean Dyche's side today will see them complete the league double over Everton for the first time since the 1959-50 campaign, when Burnley went on to win the top-flight title.
Despite predicting a draw in this match, none of the seven previous Premier League meetings between these two sides have finished level.
Indeed, it has been fairly even between these two sides during the Premier League era, with Everton winning four times and Burnley three. However, Sam Allardyce has only ever lost two of his 14 league meetings with Burnley as a manager, and is unbeaten in six previous visits to Turf Moor.
Right, the players are out on the field and we're almost ready to get started here. Let's have a quick reminder of the team news from today's match...
BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Lennon, Cork, Hendrick, Westwood, Gudmundsson; Barnes
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Coleman, Williams, Keane, Martina; Gueye, Davies, Sigurdsson, Walcott; Calvert-Lewin, Tosun
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Burnley get us underway at Turf Moor!
Walcott turns on the afterburners to race forward down the middle before trying to slide the ball through to Davies, but there is too much on the pass.
SAVE! The first save of the day is for Pickford to make, but it is a comfortable one. The ball broke to Gudmundsson outside the area, but Coleman blocked his effort which made it easier for Pickford to get down and save.
It looked as though Everton might be lining up in a 4-4-2 formation, but in practice it is more of a 4-3-3, with Walcott, Tosun and Calvert-Lewin in the attacking trio.
Lowton gets forward down the right flank and produces a really good cross into the box, but Coleman deals with it well.
Burnley are getting some joy from their direct approach in these early stages, with the Everton defenders struggling to deal with the aerial threat at the moment.
Lennon's cross into the middle is knocked back for Barnes to Gudmundsson, but the Burnley man slices his effort well off target.
Burnley have been the aggressors in these opening stages and have started this match much brighter than Everton, who are struggling to get going at the moment.
CHANCE! Big chance for Everton to break the deadlock! It is magic footwork from Sigurdsson as he dances past a couple of defenders inside the box, reaching the byline before pulling the ball back for Walcott. However, the winger skies his effort well over when he really should have scored, and then gives Davies a glare to suggest that he got in his way.
That was a real let-off for Burnley, but the hosts do not deserve to be behind. For Everton, though, those are the chances they really need to be taking.
CHANCE! Lennon skips past Martina on his way into the box before whipping a cross into the middle which is only cleared as far as Cork. The midfielder takes it down on his chest, but then rushes his effort and fires it over the crossbar.
CLOSE! More good play from Burnley as they come forward down the left flank, working it well inside for Gudmundsson. The winger reaches the byline and drills a low cross into the box which Pickford gets an important touch to.
GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Everton (Cenk Tosun)
Everton have been on the back foot for the majority of the opening 20 minutes, but they have the lead now and it is a first Toffees goal for Tosun!
Walcott drives down the right flank before playing a cross into the middle which Coleman flicks on well. That takes the ball to Tosun, who plants a firm header into the bottom corner past a helpless Pope.
SAVE! That goal finally seems to have sparked Everton into life! Tosun threatens a quickfire second here as he collects the ball on the edge of the box, but his low left-footed effort is saved by Pope.
Burnley have played pretty well in the opening quarter of this match, so they will be gutted to be behind. Remember, they have never won a Premier League game under Sean Dyche after conceding the opening goal.
Here is that Cenk Tosun opener, with a vital flick from Coleman too...
YELLOW CARD! Calvert-Lewin picks up the first yellow card of the afternoon for a poor sliding challenge on Ward.
CHANCE! Everton hit Burnley on the counter-attack and a defensive error allows Calvert-Lewin's ball to arrive to Walcott. However, the angle is against him and Pope makes the save at his near post.
SAVE! Burnley are so close to a leveller as this game begins to catch fire! It is a stunning save from Pickford to turn the ball away after Barnes had got on the end of Lowton's cross. Barnes was already wheeling away in celebration, but Pickford somehow got there to claw the ball away.
Half an hour gone in this match now, and this has been a better game than many would have expected considering the form of both teams.
Sigurdsson swings a corner into the box which is only cleared as far as Gueye, but his first-time effort is skewed well off target.
CHANCE! A long ball forward once again causes Everton problems as Barnes gets in behind, but he doesn't get good enough contact on his finish when trying to lift it over a stranded Pickford.
CHANCE! Everton respond with a quick counter and another chance at the other end as Tosun bends a lovely pass behind the defence, which makes it all the way through to Walcott. He skips past one marker, but then his finish is tame and easy for Pope.
SAVE! This is end-to-end stuff right now! Barnes turns Keane too easily on the edge of the area before drilling a shot towards goal, but Pickford has his angles right and makes a routine stop.
YELLOW CARD! Westwood is the first Burnley man in the yellow card for a late challenge on Davies.
CHANCE! Burnley win a free kick in a deep position, but Gudmundsson produces a really good delivery. Lennon gets the wrong side of Davies and should score, but he can't steer it on target. It almost falls at the feet of Mee, who would have been left with a sitter, but he was slow to react and Pickford pounced on the ball.
SHOT! Davies comes forward and tries his luck from range, but his effort is always rising and goes well off target.
Here is that really good reaction save from Pickford, which looks like being enough to keep his side in the lead heading into half time...
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Burnley 0-1 Everton
Well, that was a much better first half than many people - myself included - would have been expecting. These two sides have been in poor form, but they have both played well here today.
It is Everton who take the lead into half time, but Burnley have created plenty of chances themselves and it is still all to play for in the coming 45 minutes.
The only goal of the game so far arrived after 20 minutes when Cenk Tosun opened his Everton account with a firm header into the bottom corner.
It was a goal which came against the run of play, but Everton had threatened before that. Coleman got a crucial flick on to help Walcott's cross into the path of Tosun, who made no mistake with a confident finish.
Everton could well be further ahead had Walcott snapped up a glorious chance while the score was still 0-0, but the winger skied his finish over the top after really good work from Sigurdsson.
Aside from that there have been other chances for Tosun and Walcott, but Everton's main threat has come on the counter-attack, with Burnley looking the more dangerous of the two teams in general play.
The closest Burnley have come to an equaliser came via a header from Barnes, who thought he had scored from Lowton's cross. Pickford pulled off a superb reaction stop, though, to turn the header away.
Barnes has been a real nuisance for Burnley all game so far, and the Clarets have also seen the likes of Gudmundsson, Cork and Lennon all miss chances.
KICKOFF: Everton get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that Burnley have made a change at the break, with Chris Wood replacing Hendrick.
An early scramble from a corner as Burnley put the pressure on during the opening exchanges. The ball falls for Mee, but his strike is blocked.
CHANCE! Chance for the hosts as a cross from the left is only cleared as far as Lennon, who takes a touch before releasing his effort which Pickford does well to turn past his post.
SAVE! It is another really good save from Pickford as Burnley continue to knock on the door at the start of this second half! Mee gets on the end of a corner and directs a fine header towards goal which Pickford manages to save. The ball still drops into a dangerous area, but Wood cannot keep his effort down.
Burnley have made a really good start to this second half, but they need to start making the most of these chances. They could, and should, be at least level here.
Everton are yet to really get going since the restart, although they have begun to stem the tide of chances which were falling the way of Burnley in the opening exchanges.
Sigurdsson takes his time over a free kick before playing it in deep, but it goes all the way behind and narrowly misses the post.
GOAL! Burnley 1-1 Everton (Ashley Barnes)
Burnley level things up 11 minutes into the second half as Barnes scores in back-to-back games for the first time this season!
It is a great pass from Lowton down the channel which releases the striker, but Pickford could perhaps come to meet it. Once Barnes does eventually latch on to the pass he is virtually in the six-yard box, and he is able to slam his finish home at the near post.
Burnley have their tails up here! They come swarming forward once again here and, while they are unable to get a shot away on this occasion, that goal has really changed the mood in this stadium.
EVERTON SUB: Everton make a change in the wake of that goal as Wayne Rooney replaces Davies.
Lennon comes bursting forward now before giving the ball to Cork, who in turn plays it out to Gudmundsson. The winger puts another good cross into the box, but Coleman gets enough on it to deflect it behind.
Over an hour gone in this match now and Burnley will fancy their chances of completing the turnaround here. They are on top now and deserve to be ahead in this match.
A deserved goal too. Barnes has been a real handful today.
CHANCE! Half a chance for Tosun as he gets on the end of Calvert-Lewin's cross but can only steer his header off target.
CHANCE! Another chance for Burnley, and again it comes down that right channel. Barnes gets in between the defence to again get on the end of Lowton's pass, but this time Pickford is quick off his line to make the save.
Barnes is in the thick of the action again as he knocks the ball down to Wood, but the ball bounces awkwardly and that allows Williams the time to get across and make an important block.
EVERTON SUB: Change for the visitors here as Oumar Niasse replaces Tosun.
Everton's away woes continue...
Less than 20 minutes remaining in this match now and Everton just have not looked like scoring in this second half. As things are right now, you'd think that Everton would be the much happier of the two teams if it stays level.
It is worth noting on his return to Turf Moor that Michael Keane has had a really poor game today. Neither he nor Williams have been able to cope with Barnes.
Better from Everton here as Walcott plays a low ball into the box which Lowton does really well to clear at the back post, denying Sigurdsson a certain goal. It eventually falls to Niasse, but his acrobatic effort goes well over.
Suddenly the pendulum has swung in Everton's favour in the last couple of minutes, and now it is the visitors who look much more likely to score the winner.
CHANCE! Chance for Everton to regain the lead as Sigurdsson shows great composure to create room for himself to shoot inside the box, but then places his finish wide of the far post with his weaker left foot!
A Burnley corner is only cleared as far as Lennon on the edge of the box, but his shot is blocked behind for yet another corner.
GOAL! Burnley 2-1 Everton (Chris Wood)
Burnley complete the turnaround, and it is absolutely no surprise to see it come from the aerial route.
The defending from Williams and Keane is poor again - they have been dreadful today - as Wood loses Williams before climbing above Keane in the area and thumping a close-range header past PIckford.
It wasn't too long ago that Williams and Keane - the latter especially - were being heralded as some of the best defenders in the league, but they have been all over the place here.
EVERTON SUB: Another change from the visitors as Yannick Bolasie replaces Sigurdsson - a decision which prompts boos from the visiting fans.
Just five minutes remaining in this match now. Can Everton salvage something from this match?
RED CARD! Ashley Williams (Everton)
A miserable day for Everton goes from bad to worse, and Williams has arguably been the main culprit in this performance too. The centre-back swung an arm at Barnes while jostling from a free kick in Burnley's area, and the referee had no hesitation before producing the red card. It is a little bit harsh for me, but you can certainly see why he made that decision.
Ashley Williams has a lot to answer for in this match. His performance has been dreadful, and he has just gone a long way to ending Everton's chances of getting an equaliser here.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Burnley 2-1 Everton
Referee Chris Kavanagh brings an end to another miserable afternoon for Everton, then, as they slump to a sixth consecutive away defeat across all competitions, with their frustration being compounded when Ashley Williams saw red late on for a swinging arm on Barnes.
Barnes had terrorised WIlliams and Keane all game up until that point, and he and Wood got the goals which saw the Clarets turn the game around in the second half, having gone into the break behind courtesy of Tosun's first Everton goal.
Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as Burnley come from behind to beat 10-man Everton, reaching the 40-point mark in the process. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. We also have coverage of the 3pm kickoffs live on site now, so check them out for more live action!
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
