Saturday 4th March 2016 Kickoff: 1500hrs Swansea City v Burnley Football – England – Premier League There’s a massive game involving two teams at the bottom end of the table on Saturday as Swansea play host to Burnley. With less than a third of the campaign left Burnley have nine point cushion over the bottom three so will feel quietly confident of playing Premier League football next season but Swansea’s situation is much more perilous as they are only a couple of points from the relegation zone. A lot can change from March onwards, however, and Swansea can give themselves a lot more to be positive about if they can take three points on Saturday.
There was much uncertainty about the appointment of Paul Clement at the turn of the year and it’s not altogether surprising considering what had went before under the previous two incumbents in the first half of the season. Clement never enjoyed the best of times when manager at Derby, either, but the early signs are that he has learned a lot. The Swans now look organized and carry much more of a threat going forward with their key players showing up on a more consistent basis. It’s now three wins in their last five leagues games including two home victories against Southampton and Leicester – there was also that excellent 3-2 win at Anfield which got a lot of people thinking that Swansea could prolong their Premier League stay for another season. Their two defeats in that run have come against Manchester City and Chelsea, away from home, and even in defeat there were a huge amount of positives to take from both games against top opposition, but it’s games like tomorrow that will determine where Swansea play their football come August.
It’s been an excellent return to the top flight for Sean Dyche and his Burnley team thus far. Having won the Championship last season, the Clarets have adapted well to life with the big boys and seemed to be more streetwise than when they got relegated in 2014/15. Currently in 11th spot with 31 points, much of that is down to their superb home form – 29 of those points have actually been gained at Turf Moor. It’s an incredible statistic and to put it into context, Burnley have won more home games than every team in the league apart from Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. However, only themselves and Leicester have yet to win a game on the road in the Premier League this season which illustrates their struggles away from home. It’s often said that home form alone is not enough to keep a team in this division which is usually accurate, however because Burnley’s form is on a par with teams in the top four they may well be the exception to that trend.
Swansea City v Burnley
Burnley will feel they owe Swansea one as the Welsh club are one of only three clubs to have taken all three points at Turf Moor this season. The 1-0 success came on the opening day of the campaign and whilst an awful lot has changed since then at the Liberty Stadium, they remain in desperate need of the points to stave off relegation fears. Clement has made a different already, though, and the wins over Saints and Leicester will ensure they come into this one confident – particularly as their overall form has been good the last six weeks.
Whilst Burnley will not feel safe until they reach the magical 40 point mark, it’s fair to say that the home side’s need for points is much greater coming into this one. They have already doubled the number of home wins for the season since the new head coach took over and that improvement will have to continue for them to survive. The form of Fernando Llorente has been crucial of late and you expect he’ll have a big influence in this one, too, and I’m taking the Spaniard to lead his team to what would be a vital three points, extending Burnley’s winless away run to an unlucky 13.
Swansea 21/20 @ Paddy Power
