Match Preview: Burnley vs. Newcastle United

Newcastle United will not have too much time to dwell on their defeat to West Ham because they travel immediately to Turf Moor ahead of their encounter with Burnley on Tuesday. Alan Pardew's club went down 1-0 to the Hammers on the weekend. It was their first defeat in eight matches.

The Magpies will begin a busy month of action which could determine whether they could expect to challenge for a top seven position. After Burnley, they will face Chelsea at St. James’ Park next Saturday, followed by Arsenal away the week after that. And they will play Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester United and Everton before the calendar year is done.

Sean Dyche’s Burnley club were the last to record a victory this season when they beat Hull City on November 8th. But since then, the Clarets have defeated Stoke City and also held Aston Villa to a draw on Saturday.

Injuries and Suspensions

Newcastle continues to be ravaged by injuries. Goalkeeper Tim Krul is the latest to go down. The Dutch international missed Saturday’s match against West Ham. He is expected to be out six weeks with an ankle injury.

The club did welcome back Steven Taylor and Cheikh Tioté on the weekend. Tioté missed several weeks with a thigh injury. He played a little over an hour against West Ham. Apart from that, Newcastle is not expecting to get back any more players in time for Tuesday’s match.

Ryan Taylor (knee), Rolando Aarons (Hamstring), Mehdi Abeid (broken toe), and Fabricio Coloccini (calf) are all out indefinitely. Siem de Jong (thigh), Gabriel Obertan (thigh) and Jonas Gutierrez (cancer) are out long-term. Moussa Sissoko was sent-off on Saturday and will be suspended for the match. Jack Colback will also miss the match after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season.

Burnley could be without first-choice defender Michael Duff who has a calf injury. Welsh striker Sam Vokes has been out all-season with a knee injury. Matthew Taylor and Nathaniel Chalobah are not expected to play on Tuesday.

Possible Tactics

Despite their defeat to West Ham on Saturday, Alan Pardew is not expected to make any major changes against Burnley. Pardew has used the 4-2-3-1 formation for most of this season. Rob Elliot should start in goal in Krul’s absence for the foreseeable future. Steven Taylor and Cheikh Tioté should be fit enough to start once again.

The problem for Pardew is how to replace Moussa Sissoko who has been in good form for the club all season. His absence will leave a gaping whole in the Newcastle midfield. It is likely that Remy Cabella will play centrally in place of Sissoko. Colback’s suspension should free up a position for Vurnon Anita, who has been on the bench in recent weeks.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche appears to be a believer in the classic 4-4-2 formation. English striker Danny Ings is expected to play up-front with a support striker. Ings leads the club in goals with four this season. The club has only managed nine goals in 13 matches so far, second lowest in the league.

Prediction

This will be the first match between these two clubs since 1976. Burnley was previously promoted to the Premier League ahead of the 2009-10 season, which Newcastle spent in the Championship. The Clarets currently sit in 19th position in the table, two points from safety. They have only one victory in seven matches at home this season.

Newcastle’s defeat to West Ham put an end to a run of five consecutive league victories. It was their first defeat away from home in four matches as well. The Magpies will be without the services of Colback and Sissoko who are suspended, in addition to various injuries to key players.

Newcastle should not take Burnley lightly. The club has played in several close matches this season and probably deserve to have more points. The Magpies will be shorthanded, however they still have more than enough quality to earn the victory.

Burnley 0 – 2 Newcastle United