Preview: Liverpool vs Burnley: lineups, team news, and prediction

When Liverpool exit the pitch on Saturday for their match against Burnley at Anfield, they might have already lost their Premier League position.

Last Saturday, the Reds’ hopes of winning the title were dealt one of the biggest blows yet as they lost 3-1 to Arsenal, while Vincent Kompany’s team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 with Fulham.

Match Preview 

It wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to characterise Liverpool’s performance at the Emirates last weekend as a defensive disasterclass. The Reds’ 15-match Premier League winning streak and 11-game winning streak across all competitions, which had persisted since their previous trip to North London, came to an abrupt end.

An odd After Bukayo Saka had broken the deadlock, Gabriel Magalhaes’ own goal may have pulled Liverpool even against the run of play, but in the second half, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk combined for a defensive mishap that gave Gabriel Martinelli an open goal before the latter was beaten at his near post by Leandro Trossard in added time.

Jurgen Klopp was devastated by Ibrahima Konate’s dismissal, as his team left the Emirates bruised, bloodied, and rightfully defeated. The German manager went on to claim that “everything” went wrong for his team on their fruitless trip to the capital.

In terms of Premier League rankings, Liverpool is still unbeaten, but their lead over Arsenal and Manchester City is now just two points. The Citizens, who have a game in hand, have the opportunity to move up to second place by defeating Everton in the midday kickoff.

The Merseyside audience has witnessed the Reds escape loss in twenty-three of their previous top-flight matches, so redemption will be the order of the day at Anfield. However, Burnley has the slimmest chance of winning after six straight games without a clean sheet at home in all competitions.

As Liverpool pursued title glory all the way to the finish, Steven Gerrard famously nearly pulled off an Etihad surprise with his Aston Villa team on the last day of the 2021–22 season. Even if the stakes might not be as high in February, Man City legend Vincent Kompany can still lend a helpful hand to his former employers on Merseyside.

One of the most predictable results in the Premier League this season—the Clarets losing at Turf Moor—was about to happen when Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Muniz put Fulham two goals ahead by halftime last weekend. The Belgian’s Citizens reunion on January 31 went as planned as Burnley lost 3-1 to the champions.

But Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana used his super-sub abilities once more with a late brace, scoring his second of the afternoon in the first minute of injury time, and allowing himself to be hounded by the jubilant Lancashire supporters after providing an assist off the bench against Man City.

The visitors’ situation is still dire, though, as their 13 points are only one point over Sheffield United, the team in the cellar, while the 19th-place Clarets are seven points below the 17th-place Luton Town, who still have a game remaining.

Although their team has scored in each of their last four Premier League away games, the travelling supporters should find some solace in the fact that they have lost their last four Premier League games against Liverpool, who triumphed 2-0 on Boxing Day at Turf Moor.

Jarell Quansah will have the opportunity to play alongside Van Dijk in the middle of defence this weekend as Liverpool centre back Konate serves a one-game ban after being forced to face the walk of shame for two bookable offences on Sunday.

Thiago Alcantara, Alexis Mac Allister, and Darwin Nunez—who is playing for the first time since April—were all deemed healthy to take on the Gunners. However, Dominik Szoboszlai was a late scratch from the squad due to a thigh issue, and it’s unclear if Conor Bradley will play this weekend after his father passed away.

Wataru Endo ought to be back at Klopp’s disposal after Japan’s elimination from the Asian Cup last weekend. Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Mohamed Salah (thigh), Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone), and Joel Matip (knee) are still restricted to the hospital.

Burnley’s two injured players, Luca Koleosho (knee) and Nathan Redmond (thigh), will watch this match from the sidelines. Charlie Taylor, an Englishman, can relate to Liverpool’s left-backs because he is dealing with a shoulder issue.

While fellow defender Hjalmar Ekdal only played until halftime against Fulham before being replaced by Montpellier HSC loanee Maxime Esteve, who is now expected to make his Clarets debut, Jordan Beyer (thigh) and Hannes Delcroix (knock) are also on Kompany’s touch-and-go list.

Datro Fofana could have done more to push his way into the visitors’ two-pronged assault after his exploits against the Cottagers; Zeki Amdouni or Lyle Foster should make room for the Ivorian.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Endo, Mac Allister; Jota, Nunez, Diaz

Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Vitinho; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Datro Fofana, Foster

Prediction: Liverpool 4-1 Burnley
When Burnley hosted Liverpool over the Christmas break, they performed admirably, and given the Reds’ tendency to give up goals at home and the Clarets’ propensity for scoring goals away from home, no clean sheets should be kept this weekend.

Even so, Klopp’s team comes into the Anfield roar with more than one point to prove. Expect the injured hosts, who score almost three goals at home in Premier League games, to run wild against their relegation-threatened opponents.