Premier League leaders and reigning champions Liverpool travel to newly-promoted Burnley in the first fixture of this Sunday’s action in the English top flight.
Arne Slot’s men are the only remaining team left with a 100% record in the Premier League, but Burnley have adjusted to life at the top table slightly better than many may have envisaged.
Match preview
It was a joyous August for the Premier League holders, as Liverpool won three from three to get their campaign started, beating title-challengers Arsenal in an important early clash.
Now, Liverpool will have their eyes set on winning their first four matches for just the third time in the PL era, after also doing so in 2018-19 (second with 97 points) and in 2019-20 (champions).
It would also be the third time in a row that the reigning champions have won their first four games, as Manchester City managed it in the last two seasons, and it would be the first time in English top-flight history that this has happened.
Slot’s men are big favourites to take all three points, not only because of the inferiority of their opposition, but because they have added to an already-lethal attack, by signing Alexander Isak for £125m on deadline day.
Liverpool have already scored in 37 straight Premier League matches - their best ever streak - and after spending close to half-a-billion pounds in the summer, it is tough to see any defence stopping them at present.
This is comfortably Liverpool’s easiest fixture on paper over the coming week, with Atletico Madrid and rivals Everton making the trip to Anfield in the next seven days, so Slot will hope his players can replicate a similar performance to the one Liverpool produced the last time they face Scott Parker - beating his Bournemouth side 9-0 in 2022.
The recent history makes a Liverpool victory even more probable, because the Reds have won on eight of their last nine trips to Turf Moor, including each of the last six, meaning Burnley could become just the fourth side in history to lose seven successive matches against Liverpool at home.
In the Premier League era, Burnley, as expected, have struggled against Liverpool, losing 14 of the 18 meetings between the two.
Josh Cullen of Burnley on August 23, 2025
When facing the reigning champions in the top flight, Burnley have lost on 10 of the last 11 occasions, conceding 30 goals in the process, but the one exception in that run was against Liverpool, when Sean Dyche masterminded a win at Anfield in 2021.
It is tough to gauge where Burnley are at after three games, because they were handed two daunting away trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, which both ended in valiant defeats, but they beat fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland in their only home outing.
Burnley were noted for their astonishing defensive record in the Championship last season, conceding just 16 goals in 46 games, but after just three games in the Premier League, they have let in six, meaning if they conceded two or more here, they will become just the second team in English football history to concede at least half of their previous season’s entire tally in the first four matches of the following campaign.
The Clarets are unbeaten in 25 home league matches, but that will certainly be put to the test here by Liverpool, and it does not get any easier, because the following three matches are also against sides from last season’s top seven - Nottingham Forest, Man City and Aston Villa.
Burnley Premier League form:
Burnley form (all competitions):
Liverpool Premier League form:
Liverpool form (all competitions):
Team News
Liverpool confirm the signing of Alexander Isak in a British-record transfer deal on September 1, 2025
All eyes will be on Liverpool’s teamsheet at 12:45pm on Sunday to see whether Isak will make his full debut, but the likelihood is that he will start on the bench, having only played 18 competitive minutes this season, for Sweden away in Kosovo on Monday.
The form of Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo also makes it tough for Slot to drop either to make way for Isak, and the latter continued his fine start on the international stage too, scoring for the Netherlands in Lithuania last week.
On the injury list, Ibrahima Konate will be fine after featuring for France during the break, but Jeremie Frimpong is still recovering from a hamstring issue and Curtis Jones is also absent.
Burnley could welcome Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts back from knee injuries very soon, but this game looks like it will come too soon for the pair of them.
Zeki Amdouni is out for the long term with a serious knee injury, but Hjalmar Ekdal should be fine after sustaining a slight knock on international duty with Sweden.
Florentino Luis was Burnley’s only late addition in the transfer market, and the Benfica loanee could make his debut in this one.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen, Florentino; Bruun Larsen, Foster, Anthony
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
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We say: Burnley 0-4 Liverpool
The Clarets have already shipped three goals against Spurs and Man United, and Liverpool are a few classes above both sides, and with the addition of Isak in attack, the visitors could fill their boots here.
Burnley’s record against Liverpool is woeful, losing each of the last six here at Turf Moor, and there is little reason to suggest they will arrest that run this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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