Swansea City are the visitors to Turf Moor as Burnley look to secure maximum points on their return to the Premier League.
The visitors have seen several players depart the Liberty Stadium during the summer but a couple of big-name acquisitions over the past 10 days has only increased expectations at the Welsh club.
Burnley
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Achieving 93 points in a competitive Championship campaign is one thing but to not lose a game in one of the toughest leagues in world football since December 28 is another, and it has left Burnley in the best possible shape ahead of this weekend's opener.
Some will look to the step up in class as a reason to doubt the Clarets' credentials this season but momentum is everything and they have also come through pre-season without losing a fixture.
Manager Sean Dyche has acknowledged that they must conduct more business in the transfer market before the end of the window but for now, he has a group of players who have confidence in their ability and know how to win football matches in front of their home supporters.
Joey Barton is a big loss in the centre of midfield but Saturday's fixture will tell Dyche everything he needs to know about where he needs to strengthen in the next few weeks.
The goals of Andre Gray will have a huge say in whether Burnley stay up this season but they must also ensure that they are well stocked up in defence given the unforgiving nature of the top flight.
Opportunities will likely arise for higher-calibre players to come through the door at the club but for now, they must continue to adopt the same approach that served them so well last season.
Recent form: WDWWWD
Swansea City
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Despite leading the club to survival during the second half of last season, Francesco Guidolin was not guaranteed a new deal at the Liberty Stadium but during the early part of the summer, the Swansea hierarchy made the move to secure the Italian on a permanent basis.
Some high-profile names have been linked with the Welsh outfit since Garry Monk's exit but Guidolin has offered the club the stability that it required and although the likes of Ashley Williams and Andre Ayew have left for pastures new, it should not necessarily mean that Swansea will fail to build on their impressive end to the last campaign.
The signings of Fernando Llorente and Borja Baston have made a real statement and while both are considered unknown quantities in English football, they will prove to be a real asset if they can operate on the same wavelength in the final third.
The more pressing concern will be how Guidolin replaces Williams in the centre of defence. Mike van der Hoorn has arrived from Ajax but there is a feeling that they need an experienced name to replace a player who has led the club in recent seasons.
Swansea will be hopeful of picking up maximum points from their opening two games with Hull City to follow at home next weekend but after that, they face Leicester City, Chelsea, Southampton, Manchester City and Liverpool in quick succession.
Such a fixture list leaves the need for Guidolin's men to hit the ground running this weekend and after an excellent showing in pre-season, they look well prepared for the trip to the North-West.
Recent form: WLWWWW
Team News
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Dyche is hopeful that full-back Stephen Ward will be fit to take his place in the squad after returning from Euro 2016 with a hamstring problem.
Jon Flanagan - on loan from Liverpool - could feature, but Ashley Barnes will remain sidelined for now as he continues to build up his fitness after a long-term layoff.
Guidolin has said that new signing Borja will not feature this weekend having only signed for the club in the past 48 hours.
The Swansea boss has also suggested that Leon Britton will start after confirming that he will take on the captaincy in place of Williams.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Flanagan, Mee, Keane, Lowton; Gudmundsson, Marney, Jones, Arfield; Gray, Vokes
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Fabianski, Naughton, Amat, van der Hoorn, Rangel, Britton, Cork, Fer, Dyer, Routledge, Llorente
Head To Head
The two teams will be meeting for the 39th time when they take to the pitch on Saturday afternoon, with Swansea winning 17 times in comparison to 14 victories for the Clarets.
Many of their matches have come in the Football League but the clubs did play each other during the 2014-15 campaign after Burnley's promotion to the top flight.
However, Swansea prevailed in both games by a 1-0 scoreline that season.
We say: Burnley 1-1 Swansea City
Burnley will head into this match as the marginal favourites but they are yet to add Premier League quality to their squad since earning promotion and that could let in Swansea. Turf Moor will be rocking on the opening day of the season but we expect Swansea to show their class and earn a share of the spoils.
Darren Plant
