Clarets v Toffees Match Preview.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Clarets Mad - Clarets v Toffees, English Premier League Match Preview.
Venue: Turf Moor, Harry Potts Way, Burnley, BB10 4BX.
Kick-off – 17.30 - 16th December 2023.

Burnley square up to Everton on Saturday afternoon at Turf Moor against ex-Clarets’ gaffer Sean Dyche’s team who are currently in in excellent run of form.

In a remarkable run of three straight victories the Toffees have almost reversed the 10-point deduction they recently suffered for a breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Saturday’s visitors however are not out of the woods yet, it appears the Toffees are at serious risk of administration after the Premier League indicated to the Goodison outfit’s prospective new owners - 777Partners that their takeover will not be approved before the end of the year.

In that event administration would seem inevitable and Everton would face another substantial points deduction penalty and even Sean Dyche’s considerable doggedness might not prove enough to mitigate that.


In any event I’m certain that Burnley boss Vincent Kompany will only focus on winning this game of football and let the relevant authorities take care of the rest.

One’s to watch: Zeki Amdouni continues to influence the Clarets’ offensive efforts and Wilson Odobert looks likely to start after his impressive performance against the Seagulls last weekend. It’s hard to see any other Burnley players breaching an impressive Everton rear-guard.

For the Toffees Abdoulaye Doucoure is scoring important goals for fun and ex- Burnley winger Dwight McNeil must now be knocking on the England manager’s door following a string of excellent match-winning performances for Everton.

Verdict: I see nothing other than a repeat of the score-line in the recent Carabao Cup 3-0 reverse the Clarets suffered at Goodison Park. In their last three games Sean Dyche’s irrepressible team have seen off Chelsea, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest.

Footnote: Christmas is only days away and in the Christmas spirit let us hope all our fellow home supporters respect our former manager and the visiting Toffee fans. No repetition please of the vile chants experienced from Chelsea and Newcastle “fans” with their infantile references to food banks and signing on.

An adopted Scouser famously exhorted “Some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I assure you it’s much more serious than that”. Enjoy the game. (TEC).

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