When Burnley plays Crystal Palace in a match that they absolutely must win, they will be under pressure to mount a strong defence.
Last week, the Clarets were humiliated 5-0 by Arsenal in front of their home supporters at Turf Moor.
With thirteen games remaining, Vincent Kompany’s team is still in 19th place, seven points outside of safety.
They need to genuinely win a sizable amount of points from their next four games, which start at Selhurst Park this afternoon and include Palace, Bournemouth, West Ham, and Brentford, if they are to stay up.
They play Palace, who have a new manager in Oliver Glasner, an Austrian who succeeded the seasoned Roy Hodgson, who resigned at the beginning of the week.
The South London team has only won two of their previous 16 games in all competitions, which is a terrible showing.
The following is all the pertinent facts before to today’s match:
When and where is the game taking place?
The match is being held at Palace’s Selhurst Park Stadium on Saturday, February 24. Kick-off is at 3pm.
Is it on TV?
No, the game falls behind the UK’s Saturday 3pm blackout.
How else can I follow the game?
What’s the latest team news?
Aaron Ramsey is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a horror knee injury during last week’s defeat to Arsenal.
The midfielder had to be administered oxygen as he was stretchered off the pitch and speaking ahead of this game, Kompany revealed the 21-year-old will definitely miss the remainder of the season.
Though he is making good improvement, Jordan Beyer will not play in this game. Long-term absences for Luca Koleosho, Nathan Redmond, and Lyle Foster also exist.
Key players Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are still sidelined for Palace, and defender Marc Guehi is recovering from a knee injury.
Despite the absence of Rob Holding, Cheick Doucoure, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Will Hughes may make a comeback due to a foot injury.
Vincent Kompany’s pre-match comments
“We must adopt the mentality that each game is a must-win. Getting a run together is actually the important thing; things are never clear-cut. Getting a run of results together is essential, that much is certain.
“The particular game itself is more of an approach and attitude than a skill, but for us, the most important thing is to avoid pretence and conceit. They are a strong squad with talented players, so every game is difficult for us.
Putting it this way: stating that it’s a need and a want. They are a strong team, and we are preparing to play with all of our might.
What are the predicted teams?
Palace: Johnstone, Ward, Richards, Andersen, Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell, Ayew, Edouard, Mateta
Burnley: Trafford, Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor, Brownhill, Berge, Gudmundsson, Odobert, Amdouni, Fofana
