Clarets v Pie Eaters Match Preview
After the eventual, if hardly eventful, taming of the Shrews on Tuesday evening in the EFL Cup, Burnley return to League action on Saturday with a trip to Wigan. With regular match previewer BT on his travels, crusty old reporter Outwood steps into the breach and goes deep under cover to check out the meaty details ahead of the Clarets visit to the hometown of the World Pie Eating Championships.
Wigan have made a steady unbeaten start to the season following promotion from League One as Champions. They picked up an important first league win at Birmingham last time out despite being reduced to ten men after just 10 minutes. Doubtless Wigan manager Leam Richardson will have been licking his lips at the frailties Blackpool exposed in the Burnley defence during last weekend’s thrilling Lancashire hotpot derby that ended up with the Seasiders snatching a 3-3 draw at Turf Moor. Richardson, whose playing career included spells with Blackburn, Bolton, Blackpool and Accrington Stanley has stepped up as manager at Wigan having previously been assistant to former Claret Paul Cook.
Team News. Wigan will be without Joe Bennett for this fixture after his red card at St Andrews. Ones to watch out for the home team are right back Tendayi Darikwa, who enjoyed a two year stay at Turf Moor earlier in his career, and attacking midfielder Will Keane. Will is the twin brother of ex-Claret star and current Everton centre back Michael Keane. Burnley will be without Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen who was also given a straight red for his reaction to a scything tackle from Blackpool’s Sonny Carey. Samuel Bastien scored his first Burnley goal in the Cup win at Shrewsbury and is likely to keep his starting place. Arijanet Muric should be recalled in goal after BPF’s stint in the nets at the Montgomery Waters Meadow Stadium. For those on JBG watch the Iceman lasted 45 minutes at Shrewsbury.
Score prediction. Burnley are the new exponents of possession football without yet having mastered the art of turning possession into goals. If we can reproduce the first half form we showed against Blackpool and keep that going over 90 minutes anything is possible but this seems to have draw written all over it.
