Burnley vs Blackburn Prediction and Betting Tips: Two Best Bets for East Lancashire Derby
Lancashire rivals Burnley and Blackburn face each other in an eagerly anticipated Championship contest at Turf Moor on Saturday August 31st.
The match kicks off at 12:30pm and will be screened live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Burnley vs Blackburn Predictions
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Burnley have been a more successful club than Blackburn in recent times and have won the last six meetings between the sides.
However, Clarets fans are likely to approach Saturday’s clash with realistic expectations because their team are one point and two places below Blackburn in the second tier standings.
Blackburn are working within fairly tight budget constraints and were widely expected to struggle, but they have taken seven points from three games and are sitting pretty in third place, knowing that three points could be enough to catapult them to the top of the table.
Burnley started superbly, winning 4-1 at Luton and 5-0 at home to Cardiff, but they were deservedly beaten 1-0 at Sunderland last Saturday and will need to raise their standards if they are to satisfy expectations of an immediate return to the Premier League.
Burnley have needed to be nimble in the final few days of the transfer window but they have put together a strong squad and can sign off for the international break with a second home win of the season.
The Clarets have had to adjust to the departures of key players Dara O’Shea, Sander Berge and Wilson Odobert, but they have recruited well and made a key signing on Thursday by bringing in Bournemouth winger Jaidon Anthony on a season-long loan.
It was always going to be a tricky summer for Burnley to negotiate and there were signs of a negative impact on performance with last Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
However, manager Scott Parker remains confident in his team’s ability to push for promotion and he will be targeting a strong performance against Blackburn to get the supporters firmly back on his side.
Blackburn will be aiming to throw a spanner in the works as they strive to build on a positive start to the campaign.
However, after registering home wins over Derby (4-2) and Oxford (2-1) either side of a 2-2 draw at Norwich, they need to be prepared for a step up in class.
Rovers manager John Eustace is an under-rated tactician who will have his team fired up and well-organised.
But Blackburn’s goal-threat has been vastly diminished since the sale of top scorer Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich and that lack of individual quality makes it more difficult for them to avoid a derby defeat.
Lyle Foster was one of the bright sparks for Burnley last season, scoring five goals in 24 Premier League games, and he can get off the mark for this term by notching against Blackburn.
The South African attacker is rated highly by his manager and has the necessary pace, movement and technique to flourish in the second tier.
Foster will be desperate to make an impact in such a big game and he looks a tempting 21/10 shot to get on the scoresheet.
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