(Football news) After winning 2-0 at St. James’ Park in the rematch in September, the Magpies are aiming to accomplish their second league double against the Clarets in three years.
Despite the fact that many had written off Burnley’s chances of surviving, Vincent Kompany’s team has shown promise since the middle of March, and they now stand a chance of avoiding an early return to the Championship.
The Clarets have won 11 points in their last eight Premier League games and have only lost once. Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last weekend against Manchester United, who they had previously defeated 4-1 at Sheffield United.
United were on course to claim maximum points after Antony pounced on a loose ball to fire the hosts in front 11 minutes from time, but substitute Zeki Amdouni salvaged a respectable draw for Burnley by converting an 87th-minute penalty.
At the beginning of March, Kompany’s side were bottom of the Premier League table and 10 points from safety, but they now sit 19th and only two points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who are hovering just above the dotted line with only three games left to play – Forest are still awaiting the verdict of an appeal for a points deduction over breaching financial rules.
No top-flight team have collected fewer points on home soil than Burnley (10, along with Sheffield United) so far this season, but seven of those points have been picked up since the turn of the year. That upturn in form at Turf Moor bodes well ahead of Saturday’s clash with Newcastle, whom they will look to beat for the first time in a league fixture since December 2019 when they secured a 1-0 home victory.
Newcastle are on course to secure at least a top-seven finish this season after accumulating 13 points across their last six Premier League matches, including three wins in their final four matches of April.
The Magpies recovered from a sluggish start to thrash Sheffield United 5-1 at St James’ Park last weekend, with in-form striker Alexander Isak netting either side of half time to increase his goal tally for the season to 23 in all competitions; Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson were also on target for the hosts.
Eddie Howe’s side may not be fighting for Champions League football this term, but they are still in the mix to qualify for next season’s Europa League as they sit seventh in the Premier League table and only one point behind sixth-placed Man United, who will welcome the Magpies to Old Trafford on May 15.
Only 14 of Newcastle’s 53 Premier League points have come from away from home. The Magpies are now ranked 15th in the away results table, having lost 10 of their 16 road games this season, including eight of their previous 11.
However, the Black and Whites have triumphed in their last two trips to Turf Moor and in all five of their league encounters with Burnley. Newcastle is attempting to win six games in a row against the same opponent for just the second time since they did so in their 2006–2008 run of victories over Tottenham Hotspur.
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