Two sides still searching for their first wins of the new Premier League season prepare for battle at Turf Moor on Saturday, as Burnley play host to Norwich City.
The Clarets claimed an impressive point in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City last time out, whereas Daniel Farke's side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Match preview
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So often renowned for his prowess in the opposition's final third, a rare moment of madness from Jamie Vardy saw Leicester fall behind against Burnley at the King Power last week, but the 34-year-old certainly made up for his own goal later on in the contest.
After initially drawing his side level in the opening 45 minutes, Vardy was forced to save Leicester's bacon in the second half after Maxwel Cornet had given Burnley a 2-1 lead, with the new arrival endearing himself to the visiting crowd with a sumptuous volley.
While taking a point home from a clash with the FA Cup holders is to be admired, Burnley have now gone six games without a win since the new season kicked off and occupy 19th spot in the table, only above their upcoming opponents courtesy of draws with Leicester and Leeds United.
Sean Dyche's side have at least managed to progress in the EFL Cup thanks to wins over Newcastle United and Rochdale to set up a fourth-round clash with Tottenham Hotspur, but it is fair to say that they are falling behind while their rivals splash the cash in the Premier League.
Burnley's winless run in the division now stands at nine matches, while their record at Turf Moor also makes for bleak reading for the home crowd, as they have not won a Premier League game on their own turf in 13 attempts since a 3-2 win over Aston Villa back in January.
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Already regarded as candidates for a swift return back down to the Championship, Norwich's start to life back in the big time has been a torrid affair, as Everton handed them their sixth defeat from as many matches at Goodison Park last weekend.
Even with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison both out of action, the Toffees eased to victory thanks to Andros Townsend's penalty and Abdoulaye Doucoure's effort either side of half time, as Farke's tactical switch to a three-man defence did not pay dividends.
Norwich are the only side in the Premier League yet to claim a point this season and unsurprisingly remain rooted to the bottom of the rankings with a league-low two goals scored and a league-high 16 conceded, and Farke certainly has his work cut out to secure a second successive year of top-flight football.
Picking up where they left off from their dismal finish to the 2019-20 season, the Canaries' losing streak in the Premier League now stands at 16 matches and they have not won away from home in the top flight since December 2019, but they should sense an opportunity to end their barren run here.
Burnley claimed a pair of 2-0 victories when the sides last met in the 2019-20 Premier League season - although Norwich did march to a 2-1 FA Cup success that same year - and incredibly, the two sides have never played out a goalless draw since their first battle in 1934.
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Team News
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Many expected Jay Rodriguez to be handed a start against Leicester after netting four in the EFL Cup against Rochdale, but the striker suffered a hamstring injury before Cornet came off with a suspected issue in the same area after his stunning strike against the Foxes.
Matej Vydra was another casualty of the King Power draw with a back injury but could return here alongside Rodriguez, while Kevin Long, Connor Roberts and Dale Stephens complete a worrying list of absentees for the Clarets.
Ashley Barnes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are set to return to the first XI should Cornet and Rodriguez miss out, while Chris Wood will aim to increase his tally of three goals from two Premier League clashes with Norwich.
Meanwhile, Norwich attacker Todd Cantwell remains out after missing the last two fixtures with a personal problem, while Sam Byram and Przemyslaw Placheta are both set to remain out for the time being.
Christoph Zimmermann has an outside chance of returning from an ankle issue in time for the weekend, while Farke may revert to a four-man rearguard in search of a first three points of the season.
Billy Gilmour and Milot Rashica will both hope to return to the first XI if that is the case - assuming the former can shake off an injury scare with his foot - with Ozan Kabak potentially being sacrificed.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Mee, Tarkowski, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Westwood, McNeil; Wood, Barnes
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Krul; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams; Gilmour, Normann, Lees Melou; Rashica, Pukki, Sargent
We say: Burnley 2-1 Norwich City
Burnley's dire home form and Norwich's away day struggles should make for an interesting encounter this weekend, with both sides viewing this fixture as their most winnable one of the Premier League season so far.
However, Burnley talisman Wood loves a goal against the Norwich, and their performance at Leicester did catch the eye, so we expect the hosts to be the ones to get off the mark at the seventh attempt while the Canaries' streak of losses continues.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Burnley win with a probability of 47.77%. A draw had a probability of 26.9% and a win for Norwich City had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Burnley win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.26%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.39%) and 2-1 (8.94%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.62%), while for a Norwich City win it was 0-1 (8.91%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood.
