Burnley vs West Ham Preview: Classic Encounter, Team News, Prediction and More

Burnley and West Ham United get together in an all claret and blue affair as Premier League football replaces international action on the calendar this weekend.

Burnley and West Ham United get together in an all claret and blue affair as Premier League football replaces international action on the calendar this weekend.

Classic Encounter

Burnley will be hoping for a repeat of the first ever Turf Moor Premier League meeting with West Ham this weekend as it resulted in a home win back in February of 2010.

The two sides had played out a 5-3 thriller, won by the Hammers, at Upton Park earlier that season, which was Burnley's debut campaign in the top flight in the post-1992 era. But it was the Clarets who took the spoils back in Lancashire three months later.

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David Nugent and Danny Fox scored Burnley's goals in either half, with West Ham pulling one back through Brazilan striker Ilan in the closing stages. The result actually pushed Burnley above West Ham in the league table, but it was the Clarets who were ultimately relegated, while West Ham narrowly avoided the drop in 17th place.

Key Battles

Andy Carroll vs James Tarkowski

Carroll could well lead the line alone if Slaven Bilic decides to rest Javier Hernandez from the start. He will come up against one of the Premier League's most in-form defenders in Tarkowski and will need to get the better of the former Oldham and Brentford man to make an impact.

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Robbie Brady vs Pablo Zabaleta

Brady has a fine record in games against West Ham, scoring three times in his last five Premier League appearances against the Hammers. He'll once again be a major source of danger so it will be up to the experienced Pablo Zabaleta to try and put a lid on the Irishman's influence.

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Team News

Burnley: The home side are still without Dean Marney, Nakhi Wells and Tom Heaton, with nothing changing in that respect. Jonathan Walters has also been ruled until Christmas with knee trouble.

West Ham: Manuel Lanzini is in line to make his first Premier League start of the season after returning from injury as a substitute prior to the international break. Javier Hernandez may miss out on a starting place after travelling back from Central America.

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Lineups

Burnley (4-4-1-1): Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Arfield, Cork, Defour, Brady; Hendrick; Wood

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Reid, Fonte, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyate; Antonio, Lanzini, Ayew; Carroll

Prediction

There has been something special about Burnley since their return to the Premier League in 2016. They're certainly resilient and a solid defence makes it difficult to look beyond them for a narrow win. It promises to be a tight game, though, and so could easily go either way.

Burnley 1-0 West Ham United