Burnley vs Watford: Premier League preview, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time
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).
Team news
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.
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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.
Last time out...
How to follow
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.
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Jones Knows prediction...
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)
Opta stats
- Burnley have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league games against Watford (W2 D1), as many as they'd managed in their previous 20 against the Hornets.
- Watford have won just one of their last 12 away league games against Burnley (D4 L7), winning 3-1 in the Premier League in August 2018.
- Burnley have won just two of their 12 Premier League home games on Wednesdays (D5 L5) - 1-0 against Man Utd in August 2009 (their first ever victory in the competition) and 3-2 against Aston Villa in January last season.
- Watford have taken just two points from their 39 available away from home in Premier League games played on Wednesdays (W0 D2 L11), with those points coming at Stoke in January 2018 (0-0) and Bournemouth in January 2019 (3-3).
- Burnley have won just one of their last seven Premier League home games against promoted clubs (D4 L2), though that victory did come in their last such game against Brentford in October (3-1).
- Burnley have failed to score in each of their last three Premier League games, attempting just 25 shots (8.3 per game) in those fixtures, with just three of those on target (1 per game). The Clarets last went four league matches without scoring in November 2020.
- Watford are the only side without a Premier League clean sheet this season. They've conceded in each of their last 26 games in the competition, the longest run without a clean sheet by any club in the division since Burnley's run of 29 games between November 2009 and August 2014.
- Burnley have won just one of their 15 league matches this season (D8 L6); only in 1889-90 and 1979-80 (both 0) have they had fewer wins at this stage of a league campaign. Before this season, just one of the last 10 sides to win just one (or fewer) of their first 15 games of a Premier League campaign avoided relegation, with Southampton doing so in 2018-19.
