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Aberdeen logo
Europa League Qualifying | Second Qualifying Round
Jul 26, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
Burnley logo

1-1

Mackay-Steven (19' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-0)
Vokes (80')

Live Commentary: Aberdeen 1-1 Burnley - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of Aberdeen's 1-1 draw with Burnley, as the British rivals cancelled each other out in their European tie.

Sam Vokes equalised 10 minutes from time as Burnley claimed a 1-1 draw from the first leg of their Europa League second-round qualifier away to Aberdeen this evening.

The Scottish side edged in front 19 minutes in through a Gary Mackay-Steven penalty after Matt Lowton was adjudged to have challenged Sam Cosgrove inside the box.

That lead lasted until the final 10 minutes, at which point substitute Sam Vokes got between two men and fired the ball past Joe Lewis to leave the two-legged tie finely poised.

Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded at Pittodrie with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.


9.48pmThat concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Pittodrie. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and a look at how the other British teams got on in the Europa League can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!

9.46pmThe full-time whistle sounds, meaning that it is all to play for in next week's second leg. Aberdeen edged in front 19 minutes in through a Gary Mackay-Steven penalty, after Matt Lowton was adjudged to have challenged Sam Cosgrove inside the box, only for substitute Same Vokes to get between two men and smash home an equaliser 10 minutes from time.

FULL TIME:  

90+4 minABERDEEN 1-1 BURNLEY

90+2 minStevie May is furious with the officials after being penalised for an incident inside the box. Just two minutes of this well-contested derby tie left to play, and it is looking as though it will be delicately poised ahead of the return fixture.

90 minFour minutes of added time have indeed been added on at Pittodrie. Sam Vokes's volley has changed the feel around the ground, with Burnley supporters now the happier of the two sets of supporters. The Dons are the side currently attacking...

88 minWe are likely to see four minutes added on at Pittodrie, so there is still plenty of time for another late twist. It is a very gripping end to the match, with both teams pressing for a goal to take into the second leg next week - what a game that should be!

86 minAberdeen want handball at the end of a promising move, but the referee waved the appeals away. Stevie May attempted to lift the ball over James Tarkowski, although replays show it hit his shoulder at best, and he was never going to be able to move out of the way.

84 minMichael Devlin and Scott McKenna will wonder how they failed to cleat the initial cross into the box, but credit to Vokes for taking the chance when it arrived. With six minutes of the first leg to play, this scoreline now massively favours Burnley.

82 minThis is a great finish from Sam Vokes, who has come off the bench to rescue Burnley's European hopes. The Wales international showed good strength and good control to blast the ball past Joe Lewis on the volley, despite having a few players around him.

GOAL!  

81 minGOAL! ABERDEEN 1-1 BURNLEY (SAM VOKES)

SAVE!  

80 minABERDEEN SUB! Derek McInnes is being smart with his subs, once again breaking up play before Burnley can get any sort of rhythm. Scott Wright is the third and final change, taking over from Niall McGinn.

78 minVokes catches his man and play is once again disrupted. The game has become stop-start over the last few minutes, which will suit Aberdeen more so than their opponents, who are chasing a goal with 12 minutes of the first leg to play.

CLOSE!  

76 minAberdeen come within inches of doubling their tally through Niall McGinn. The winger cut inside and curled a low effort wide of Anders Lindegaard's goal. Stevie May has now been brought on for Sam Cosgrove to see through the remainder.

SHOT!  

74 minGudmundsson was wayward with an acrobatic effort and then Vokes sent a header into the side-netting. Burnley are threatening to score, without really putting the Donds under all that much pressure.

72 minThe clock continues to tick down in Scotland and it is Aberdeen who are a goal to the good. This scoreline will set us up nicely for next week's return leg at Turf Moor, where Aberdeen know that a single goal may well send them through.

70 minThe second half has been very similar to the first in the sense that Burnley have dominated the ball, but Aberdeen are the side that have come closest to adding the game's second goal.

68 minBURNLEY SUB! Dyche has made his first change in outfield for the final quarter of the match, bringing on striker Sam Vokes for Jeff Hendrick, which will presumably mean playing with two up top for the remainder.

SAVE!  

66 minGreat save from Lindegaard to keep the scoreline at 1-0. McGinn chipped the ball towards the back post, where Cosgrove was waiting to knock the ball into the path of Gary Mackay-Steven. The resulting header was on target but Lindegaard was equal to it.

Aberdeen's Graeme Shinnie reacts with Scott McKenna during their Europa League qualifying clash with Burnley on July 26, 2018© Reuters

64 minPretty much Aberdeen's best moment of the second half so far, but it ends in disappointment as Shinnie's cross from close to the byline sailed over before any of his teammates could meet it.

62 minWe have now passed the hour mark at Pittodrie and it is still Aberdeen who lead through that 18th-minute penalty from Gary Mackay-Steven. A Burnley goal will change the whole complexion of things, though, with away goals potentially coming into use.

62 minWe have now passed the hour mark at Pittodrie and it is still Aberdeen who lead through that 18th-minute penalty from Gary Mackay-Steven. A Burnley goal will change the whole complexion of things, though, with away goals potentially coming into use.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche reacts during his side's Europa League qualifying clash with Aberdeen on July 26, 2018© Reuters

62 minWe have now passed the hour mark at Pittodrie and it is still Aberdeen who lead through that 18th-minute penalty from Gary Mackay-Steven. A Burnley goal will change the whole complexion of things, though, with away goals potentially coming into use.

YELLOW CARD!  

60 minShay Logan catches Chris Wood with both feet once the ball had got away from him - had he been off the ground that would have been a red. Dons boss Derek McInnes has made his first change, bringing on Stephen Gleeson for Lewis Ferguson.

YELLOW CARD!  

60 minShay Logan catches Chris Wood with both feet once the ball had got away from him - had he been off the ground that would have been a red. Dons boss Derek McInnes has made his first change, bringing on Stephen Gleeson for Lewis Ferguson.

YELLOW CARD!  

60 minShay Logan catches Chris Wood with both feet once the ball had got away from him - had he been off the ground that would have been a red. Dons boss Derek McInnes has made his first change, bringing on Stephen Gleeson for Lewis Ferguson.

SHOT!  

58 minThe game has become very open over the last five minutes or so. Aberdeen countered from a Burnley corner and Cosgrove had a sight of goal, but his shot was never going to beat Lindegaard. Looks as though the Dons are about to make a substitution.

56 minThat was the first time that Joe Lewis has been called into action this evening. A little over 10 minutes into the second half and Burnley, who have Ben Mee back on the field following his injury scare, appear to be stepping things up.

SAVE!  

54 minWood has not had the best of games up top for Burnley; his heavy touch seeing Burnley's latest attack break down. Better from Burnley a minute later, though, as Gudmundsson's cross was met by Jack Cork, forcing Joe Lewis into a smart save.

52 minA cross into the middle appeared to be met by Cosgrove, but he just could not get enough on it - half a chance, that! McKenna then went in hard on Lennon, who ran out of space and clattered onto the concrete on the outside of the pitch.

50 minBen Mee lands awkwardly following an aerially challenge and required some treatment. Dyche has already lost Nick Pope tonight and it really will start to become a bit of a disaster if his centre-back hobbles off here.

48 minSolid goalkeeping from Joe Lewis to keep hold of a ball into the box. Dyche has clearly told his players to step things up a level, although it has to be remembered that these Burnley players - as are Aberdeen - are still technically in pre-season mode.

KICKOFF:  

46 minWe are back up and running at Pittodrie in this Europa League qualifier. Neither manager has opted to make any changes at the interval, so it is as you were. Burnley, though, have already been forced to bring on Lindegaard for Pope in the first half.

8.44pmAberdeen have been the better side on the whole, then, but there is still plenty of football to be played in this two-legged tie. Will Derek McInnes tell his players to go even more defensive for the second 45? Here is a reminder of the two sides' benches...

ABERDEEN SUBS: Cerny, Forrester, Gleeson, Wright, May, Campbell, Anderson

BURNLEY SUBS: Taylor, Vokes, Walters, Wells, Bardsley, Long

Burnley's Sam Vokes celebrates after the match against Watford on April 7, 2018 © Reuters

8.41pmFive minutes later German referee Daniel Siebert pointed to the penalty spot after Matt Lowton made slight contact with Sam Cosgrove inside the area, allowing Gary Mackay-Steven - on penalty duty following the recent exit of Adam Rooney - to tuck away from 12 yards. Lindegaard then kept out a weak shot from Graeme Shinnie, before Chris Wood and Johann Berg Gudmundsson sent shots high and wide respectively in the minutes leading up to half time.

8.38pmAberdeen allowed Burnley to take control of possession in the first half, but it was the hosts who enjoyed the better of the rare openings. Niall McGinn sent an angled shot wide of the target after his initial cross, crying out for a touch, went right the way through the box. Burnley were dealt a blow by the loss of Nick Pope to a shoulder injury 14 minutes in, and with Tom Heaton also injured due to a minor knock it was down to Anders Lindegaard to take over.

8.35pmReferee Daniel Siebert brings the first half of this Europa League second-qualifying round tie to an end. The German official made a big call by pointing to the penalty spot 18 minutes in, allowing Gary Mackay-Steven to convert for the only goal so far.

HALF TIME:  

45+3 minABERDEEN 1-0 BURNLEY

45+1 minStephen Ward is shielded off the ball and it runs straight out of play for a goal kick. Three minutes have been added on at the end of this first half due to that early injury sustained by Nick Pope, so still time for a Burnley equaliser here.

44 minDyche may well be tempted to change things around slightly at the break, perhaps turning to Sam Vokes, or indeed Jonathan Walters, for the start of the second half. This would be a great scoreline for McInnes, who is desperate for a clean sheet.

SHOT!  

42 minGood play from Burnley and so early an end product, but Tommy Hoban got a leg to Stephen Ward's cross from out wide. Johann Berg Gudmundsson then curled a shot a fair way wide of Joe Lewis's target from around 20 yard out.

40 minAberdeen seem happy to let Burnley knock the ball around, knowing that as soon as they turn the ball over they can hit their opponents on the counter. It has worked a treat so far and the Dons are looking good with the first half nearly up.

YELLOW CARD!  

38 minMatt Lowton cuts across Lewis Ferguson and is shown the game's second yellow card. Half time is now fast approaching and Burnley do not particularly look like scoring on the basis of the previous 38 minutes.

SHOT!  

36 minMcInnes will undoubtedly be the happier of the two managers. His side are looking organised when out of possession and dangerous when they win it back. Burnley's first shot of the night sees Chris Wood blast over the bar from 20 yards.

34 minA promising three-or-four-minute spell for Burnley ends with Matt Lowton, guilty of giving away the penalty, crossing the ball far too close to Aberdeen keeper Joe Lewis. It has been a quiet evening for the Englishman between the sticks.

32 minThe Clarets have not offered near enough in an attacking sense so far at Pittodrie. They are looking comfortable on the ball at the moment, but we are still awaiting their first effort of any note.

30 minBurnley starting to build some momentum as they win another corner, which Joe Lewis collects at the second attempt. Sean Dyche does have better aerially options from the bench, particularly Wales international Sam Vokes.

28 minAnother dangerous delivery into Burnley's box from the left is cleared behind for a corner, only for the officials to adjudge that there was an infringement in the build-up. Nearly a third of the first leg has now been played.

26 minBurnley are looking a little more dangerous all of a sudden, with Aaron Lennon seeing more of the ball down the right. Aberdeen need to take the sting out of the match because it is pretty frenetic at the moment.

SAVE!  

24 minAnders Lindegaard makes his first save as a Burnley player. It was a pretty simply one for him, with Graeme Shinnie guiding the ball right down the middle from the edge of the box. The makeshift midfielder had options either side but you cannot blame him for taking it on.

22 minApologies to the Tarkowski family - it was Matt Lowton who was guilty of giving away the penalty, although I'm still not sure if the referee should have pointed to the spot. Either way, it is Aberdeen who lead by a goal to nil with 22 minutes played.

20 minGary Mackay-Steven sends replacement goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard the wrong way to give Aberdeen first blood in this two-legged tie! The hosts have been the better side in the opening quarter of the match and will argue that they deserved that goal.

GOAL!  

19 minABERDEEN 1-0 BURNLEY (GARY MACKAY-STEVEN, PEN)

PENALTY!  

18 minThe referee points to the penalty spot following Matt Lowton's shove on Sam Cosgrove inside the box. The contact looked to be minimal but the official was in no doubt, and now Gary Mackay-Steven will step up to take the spot kick...

17 minBurnley may have seen more of the ball in the opening 17 minutes of the match, but is is Aberdeen who have been the more threatening. Just the one shot so far, although that is barely worth a mention because Niall McGinn got his contact all wrong.

15 minA reminder that Tom Heaton is not in the Burnley squad tonight because he is suffering from a calf injury. Lindegaard has not played all that much football of late so Aberdeen have to target him in the remainder of this first leg.

13 minBURNLEY SUB! A blow for Burnley so early into their campaign, as Nick Pope damaged his shoulder in that previous collision and is unable to shake it off. Anders Lindegaard is given a couple of minutes to warm up and is now on.

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope picks up an injury during his side's Europa League qualifying match against Aberdeen© Reuters

11 minA cross into the box takes an awkward deflection and nearly caught Nick Pope out. The goalkeeper, in his defence, was caught by an Aberdeen player and the referee rightly halted play. The physio is now on to give Pope a quick looking over.

9 minBurnley are back in control of the ball now, with Aberdeen at risk of dropping a tad too deep. Aberdeen are looking very bright on the ball, though, and if not for a fine Stephen Ward tackle Gary Mackay-Steven would have been through.

7 minNiall McGinn gets a killer ball into the box that was crying out for a touch, but Gary Mackay-Steven could not quite get on the end of it. The ball was eventually worked back to McGinn, but his angled shot was all wrong.

5 minBurnley, in a new all-white away strip tonight, are being allowed to boss possession - they have had 71% of it so far. A long ball forward is met well by the head of new defender Tommie Hoban, who is thrown straight into the mix tonight.

3 minA superb atmosphere inside the ground, with both supporters really getting behind their respective sides at the start of this Europa League campaign. Burnley have seen more of the ball in the early stages, but as of yet we have not really seen any openings.

1 minBurnley's first European campaign in more than 50 years is officially under way here at Pittodrie! The Clarets made a fast start, too, with Matt Lowton delivering a ball into the box for Joe Lewis to collect.

7.43pmBoth sets of players have made their way out onto the field at Pittodrie. This is one of the picks of the second-qualifying round ties due to it having a derby feel to it - Aberdeen representing Scotland and Burnley looking to do England proud. As a neutral calling this one, I'm just hoping for a few goals over the next week. As for a prediction, I'm going with a 1-1 draw on the night.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche on May 13, 2018 © Reuters

7.41pmDyche insists that the delayed flight up north will not hamper his side, meanwhile, although it could land Burnley in hot water with UEFA as they had to cancel yesterday evening's pre-match press conference. As the Clarets boss rightly points out, though, even getting to this stage is an achievement in itself for the club, and they are now dreaming of overcoming Aberdeen and then Istanbul Basaksehir to make the competition proper.

7.39pmMcInnes is determined not to let the game get away from his side in these opening 90 minutes. Aberdeen led 2-1 against Apollon Limassol in last season's third round, remember, before then losing the return match and going out on away goals. One thing Aberdeen are is experienced when it comes to qualifiers - unlike their opponents - and McInnes will therefore feel that he now has the right strategy to squeeze through.

7.37pmWith kickoff at Pittodrie now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Derek McInnes: "It's important that we're still in the tie when we go to Burnley and most of the times we've been undone in Europe have been when we conceded at home. We've always had a confidence in our own abilities and we're really excited to get the competitive season underway. I don't think there'll be any real surprises tomorrow evening and if it's a typical British game, that's fine."

Sean Dyche: "[The flight delay] was no problem at all. It sometimes happens, the flight had a technical problem and we were delayed a bit. But we were flying out of Manchester and most of our players live in south-west Manchester so they popped home for a couple of hours. So it was no big drama. You will see plenty of our fans here, and there is a real feeling about the town. To get here is a different thing to some other clubs maybe. We look at it as a real badge of honour playing in this competition."

7.35pmThis is actually the third time that the two managers, Derek McInnes and Sean Dyche, have met in a competitive match. Dyche beat McInnes's Bristol City side when in charge of Watford seven years ago, before playing out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture. The stakes were high then, with a place in the Premier League up for grabs at the end of the campaign, though the two men will be feeling the pressure a lot more over the next seven days in this latest encounter.

7.33pmIn terms of Burnley's pre-season campaign, they have so far defeated Cork City 1-0 and battled to a 3-2 victory over Lancashire rivals Preston North End on Monday evening. There are two more friendlies lined up - against Montpellier and Espanyol - before getting their Premier League campaign up and running with a trip to Southampton on August 12. The hope for Dyche, of course, is that there are two more European matches to be shoehorned into the schedule.

7.31pmDyche has, rather surprisingly, yet to make a single signing in the summer transfer window, and with just two weeks left to run it is looking as thought Burnley will go into 2018-19 with the same squad that performed so well last time out. Dyche clearly has faith in his current group, which is not at all surprising when you look back at some of their results last season - some would argue that Dyche was the best manager in the division, even accounting for Pep Guardiola's work at Manchester City.

7.29pmFive wins in a row from the start of March through to the middle of April saw Burnley hold off Leicester City and Everton for the final European berth, and although they have to do things the hard way - Istanbul Basaksehir are up next for the winners of this tie - supporters of the Lancashire outfit will certainly not complain. That said, they would no doubt have been expecting to at least dig out their passports for the start of this European journey!

7.27pmThe Clarets reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1961, so while they are now exactly know for their European achievements, some supporters will have seen them play sides on the continent. Many had Dyche's men down as relegation candidates last season, but it soon became clear after their storming start that finishing in the top half would be more realistic than scrapping for survival.

7.25pmBurnley are seen as favourites to progress to the third qualifying round following their impressive showing in the Premier League last time out. The Clarets finished behind only six other sides to give themselves hope of a first European campaign in more than 50 years. It was in 1967 that they last did so, when partaking in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, while in 1960-61 they were European Cup participants.

7.23pmDID YOU KNOW? Aberdeen have faced English opposition on three previous occasions in European competition. After losing to Tottenham Hotspur over two legs in the UEFA Cup 45 years ago, the Scottish side then suffered defeat to Liverpool in the European Cup 37 years ago, before beating Ipswich Town 3-1 in the UEFA Cup a year later. That remains their only win against an English club in 12 attempts when accounting for other competitions.

7.21pmDerek McInnes has turned down multiple job offers from south of the border to remain in charge of Aberdeen. The Scotsman has done an impressive job at Pittodrie, guiding the club to second place last season for the fourth successive season to set up this latest European march. The Dons are regulars at this stage of the competition, but they have fallen at the qualifying hurdle at the third round in each of the last four years.

Derek McInnes in charge of Aberdeen on May 13, 2018© Reuters

7.19pmBurnley head to Pittodrie with a spring in their steps, but this is a fortress of sorts - particularly in the Europa League. The Dons are unbeaten in their last eight qualifying matches here, winning three and drawing five, although it does have to be stressed that they have failed to reach the competition proper since it was reformatted in 2009. Will this be the year that they finally get past the qualifying stage?

7.17pmPREVIOUS MEETINGS! This will be the first competitive meeting between these two sides. Burnley last faced Scottish opposition in 1978, beating Celtic in both legs of their Anglo-Scottish Cup tie, and they have won seven of their previous eight such fixtures. The only defeat in that time came at the hands of Hearts, who won the 1970 Texaco Cup tie 4-1.

7.15pmAberdeen are now unbeaten in 10 matches since mid-April, accounting for those recent friendlies. McInnes has lost players, as the Dons often do at this time of the year, but others have been added to the squad. Chris Forrester and Stephen Gleeson are both among the back-ups tonight, while Lewis Ferguson and Dominic Ball are both used from the off. Hoban is the most recent of the arrivals and is also a starter, but goalkeeper Tomas Cerny must wait his chance.

7.13pmMcInnes's men dodged the first round of qualifying, which Rangers instead had to navigate, meaning that they could start their pre-season campaign a little later. The Dons have so far beaten Cobh Ramblers, Falkirk and Cove Rangers, while drawing with St Johnstone and West Bromwich Albion; the latter a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie six days ago arranged with this contest against Premier League side Burnley in mind.

7.11pmAberdeen were the best of the rest in Scotland last season, sealing the runners-up spot thanks to a 1-0 victory away to champions Celtic on the final day through Andrew Considine's goal. Four years in a row the Dons have finished second, although many expect Rangers to put up much more a fight this coming campaign following the high-profile arrival of Steven Gerrard and some talented recruits.

7.09pmThat was the fourth successive time that Aberdeen had fallen at that stage, having also done so against Maribor, Kairat and Real Sociedad in the preceding years. The Scottish side, who had overcome Bosnia's Siroki Brijeg in the previous round, took a 2-1 lead to Cyprus with them last season only to slip to an aggregate defeat. It comes as little surprise, then, that McInnes is so keen to keep a clean sheet tonight.

7.07pmAberdeen's reward for finishing as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership, a respectable nine points behind champions Celtic, is another crack at the Europa League. The Dons boast far more experience than their opponents when it comes to European competition, but they have now failed to reach the competition proper in five attempts. Just 12 months ago, in fact, they lost 3-2 to Apollon Limassol in the third qualifying round.

7.05pmBurnley enjoyed a season to remember last time out, finishing seventh in the Premier League to open the door for a campaign of European football. The Clarets have yet to bring anyone in during the summer transfer window, so the squad that has made the trip north has a familiar look to it. Aberdeen, meanwhile, have lost last term's leading goalscorer so will have to rely on others.

James Tarkowski in action for Burnley on April 14, 2018© Reuters

7.03pmAberdeen were rocked by the loss of top scorer Adam Rooney to English fifth-tier side Salford City earlier in the transfer window, so there are some big boots to be filled up top. McInnes has turned to Gary Mackay-Steven, Niall McGinn and Sam Cosgrove for this one, while Scott Wright - back from a slight knock - and Stevie May will provide cover from the bench. Mark Reynolds, Greg Tansey and Frank Ross are among the absentees.

7.01pmIf Hoban is going to slot into left-back then Graeme Shinnie may well be utilised in central midfield, with McInnes stressing the importance of keeping the opposition out tonight. You get the impression from the comments made by the Aberdeen manager that he would take a goalless draw to take to Turf Moor in a week's time. Shinnie will be joined in midfield by Dominic Ball and Lewis Ferguson.

6.59pmSwitching attention to the home side, Derek McInnes has opted to throw Tommie Hoban straight into the mix following his arrival earlier this week. The Watford man will spend the season at Pittodrie and he will have little chance to get to know his teammates, as he starts alongside Michael Devlin, Scott McKenna and Shaleum Logan in the Dons' backline. Further forward, McInnes has left out Chris Forrester to field a more reserved looking midfield.

6.57pmABERDEEN TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Lewis, Logan, Devlin, McKenna, Hoban, Ferguson, Shinnie, Ball, Mackay-Steven, Cosgrove, McGinn

SUBS: Cerny, Forrester, Gleeson, Wright, May, Campbell, Anderson

6.55pmMuch of the Clarets' success last season was built on their solid defence, with James Tarkowski and Ben Mee impressive throughout. The former withdrew from England's standby list for this summer's World Cup to undergo an operation, but he has recovered in time to feature in the start of what Burnley will hope is a long European campaign. Alongside Tarkowski and Mee are Matt Lowton and Stephen Ward. With no new arrivals, this is a familiar looking side.

6.53pmAshley Barnes, Robbie Brady and Steven Defour will also play no part for Burnley in this first leg, but it is otherwise a strong starting lineup that is spearheaded by Chris Wood. The New Zealand international scored 10 goals in 24 Premier League appearances last season after joining from Leeds United in a club-record deal worth £15m. Behind Wood is a midfield four of Aaron Lennon, Jeff Hendrick, Ashley Westwood and Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

6.51pmOne of the big selection choices Sean Dyche has to make ahead of the new season is whether to stick with Nick Pope between the sticks or go with Tom Heaton, who was cruelly ruled out for the vast majority of last season with a shoulder injury. Heaton returned in February after five months out but failed to break back into the side, ultimately seeing him miss out on England selection, and he is once again absent today due to a calf strain. An easy decision for Dyche, then!

6.49pmBURNLEY TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward, Cook, Hendrick, Westwood, Gudmundsson, Wood, Lennon

SUBS: Lindegaard, Taylor, Vokes, Walters, Wells, Bardsley, Long

6.47pmThe Clarets have waited more than 50 years since their last European outing of any note, and their preparations have not quite gone to plan, it is fair to say, having seen their flight heavily delayed yesterday. Sean Dyche had to cancel his pre-match press conference yesterday evening, but the Clarets boss insists that it will not have any sort of impact on his side's display tonight.

6.45pmHello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Europa League second-round qualifying tie between Aberdeen and Burnley at Pittodrie Stadium. We have a Battle of Britain on our hands this evening as a side that finished as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership and a side that defied expectations in claiming a seventh-placed finish in the English top flight lock horns for a place in the next stage.
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