Burnley could again be without Maxwel Cornet; Christian Kabasele has been ruled out for Watford; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel shortly after full-time
Tuesday 14 December 2021 15:52, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Burnley vs Watford in the Premier League on Wednesday (kick-off 7.30pm).
Burnley could again be without Maxwel Cornet for Wednesday's clash with fellow Premier League strugglers Watford.
The 25-year-old limped off with a thigh problem during the Clarets' loss to Newcastle and sat out Sunday's draw with West Ham, while fellow forward Ashley Barnes remains sidelined with a similar injury.
Connor Roberts is recovering from a severe non-coronavirus-related infection that left him hospitalised, while Dale Stephens is out of isolation following a bout of Covid-19 but may be given more time to get back up to speed.
Christian Kabasele has been ruled out of Watford's trip to Turf Moor after sustaining a knock in training that will keep him out for a number of weeks.
However, there is better news for Claudio Ranieri as Francisco Sierralta (hamstring) and Adam Masina (thigh) have returned to his squad and could feature.
Ismaila Sarr (knee), goalkeeper Ben Foster (hip), Nicolas Nkoulou, Peter Etebo (thigh) and Kwadwo Baah (ankle) all remain sidelined.
Follow Burnley vs Watford in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after full-time.
Burnley owe me a result. The 1-0 defeat at Newcastle hurt my wallet as I had invested in Sean Dyche's ability to win 'six pointers'. Burnley are usually very hard to beat in those scenarios.
In the last three seasons in 29 games against teams that finished that season in the bottom five, Burnley have lost just four of those games, winning 16 at a healthy strike rate of 56 per cent. Two of those defeats can be excused, too, as a 4-2 reverse at Fulham came early in the season and the 1-0 loss at Sheffield United at the end of last season was very much a dead rubber. When it matters, Burnley can be relied upon to deliver in a relegation scrap.
Watford are brittle in key areas of the pitch - as seen in their collapse at Brentford on Friday. They have now gone 26 Premier League games without a clean sheet - and remain the only side in England's top-four tiers this season yet to register a shut-out.
I'm all over the 11/10 for a home win and such was Nick Pope's form in the draw with West Ham, the 11/4 for a Burnley win to nil also makes appeal.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-0
BETTING ANGLE: Burnley to win to nil (11/4 with Sky Bet)