Burnley vs Barnsley Predictions

Burnley have struggled in the Premier League this season, particularly in defence which so often proved key to the results in the last campaign which earned them an impressive a seventh place finish. On Saturday Burnley will be aiming to make it three wins on the trot when they play host to League One side Barnsley in the FA Cup. The visitors are chasing promotion back to the Championship this season and head into Saturday’s game unbeaten in their last five matches.

Burnley came from behind to beat Huddersfield Town at The John Smith’s Stadium on Wednesday night, where both teams finished the game with ten-men. Mounié put the home side 1-0 up in the thirty-third minute, but New Zealand international striker Chris Wood equalised for Burnley five minutes before the break. The turning point in the match arrived a minute after the visitors goal, when German defender Schindler picked up his second yellow card of the match reducing Huddersfield to ten men just before the break. Burnley eventually capitalised on their one man advantage when Barnes scored what turned out to be the winning goal sixteen minutes from time. Second half substitute Brady was shown a straight red card in the final minute of the match for Burnley, but the visitors had already done enough to claim all three points by that time and it had no effect on the match.

Promotion rivals Luton Town and Barnsley played out a goalless draw on New Years Day at Kenilworth Road, a result both teams will be fairly pleased with at the end of the day. Visitors Barnsley had 57% of the overall possession and managed more shots than their guests during the ninety minutes, but both teams only got four attempts each on target in a match in which the defences certainly came out on top. That result leaves Barnsley two places and six points behind second placed Luton Town in the League One table, with former Premier League sides Portsmouth, Charlton, and Sunderland all pushing for promotion.

These two clubs last met in 2014 when both were plying their trade in the Championship, and on that day Burnley claimed a 1-0 win at Oakwell thanks to a seventh minute strike from Barnes. The visitors just deserved their victory in a game that produced very few clear cut chances for either club, and by the end of that season Burnley earned promotion to the Premier League while Barnsley ended up getting relegated to League One.

Heading into this weekends latest encounter between the two clubs its Barnsley who claim the title of form favourites after they picked up three wins, two draws, and just one defeat from their last six matches. Burnley have been a little more inconsistent than their guests, winning three and losing three of their last six Premier League matches. Barnes top scores in the league for Burnley this season with four goals, while Moore leads the way with eleven League One goals for the visitors but is set to miss the game through injury.

We’re confident that Burnley will win and that under 2.5 goals will be scored in the process, and have backed a final score of 2-0. Burnley have won three of the last five meetings between the two clubs, and the last seven encounters between the pair have all produced under 2.5 goals. Under 2.5 goals have been scored in three of Burnley’s and four of Barnsley’s last six matches, which is why were expecting a low scoring game on Saturday.