Burnley will face a stern test of character when they host the Premier League champions at Turf Moor, with Liverpool eyeing a fourth successive win of their top-flight campaign.
Burnley have endured a mixed start to their 2025/26 campaign, but they have shown they can make a compelling case for themselves this term ahead of the game against Liverpool. Having gained promotion from the EFL Championship, the Clarets were considered one of the favourites to go down at the end of the season, but Scott Parker retains hope following some encouraging performances.
Burnley started the new campaign away at Tottenham, and their heavy defeat did not surprise many observers. Sunderland’s emphatic win over West Ham United in their opening game made the Black Cats the favourites when they met Burnley, but Parker’s side put them to the sword with an impressive win over their fellow newcomers.
The Lancashire outfit then played with confidence in a tight game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, only for a late penalty to hand the hosts the three points in the end. They now face an even sterner test against the Premier League champions at Turf Moor, with Burnley certainly the underdogs going into this clash.
Liverpool started their new campaign as they needed to, and they already have three emphatic moments from their four games thus far this term. While the FA Community Shield tie with Crystal Palace was frustrating, the late win over Bournemouth saw a late winner from Federico Chiesa, who produced their first big moment of the campaign.
In their second Premier League game at Newcastle United, teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha’s late winner was their second, and then Dominik Szoboszlai’s magnificent free-kick against Arsenal followed the pattern, with all those being match-winners. As for Arne Slot, he has to stabilise certain things, and the Dutch tactician could use these games against Burnley and others to do that.
Slot would also be keen to manage his squad a bit better, considering there are some key games, including the UEFA Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid and then the Merseyside Derby next weekend. Hence, the Liverpool manager would want to wrap up the points away at Burnley at the earliest, and then give his key stars as much rest as possible.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Scott Parker does not have any fresh concerns regarding player fitness apart from those who are expected to be ruled out for this clash. Zeki Amdouni, Bashir Humphreys, Jordan Beyer, and Connor Roberts are expected to sit out, meaning the manager might name a similar lineup to the one that lost at Old Trafford.
Roberts and Beyer are closing in on returning from their knee injuries, but this clash against Liverpool might come too soon for them. There were concerns over Hjalmar Ekdal after he sustained a knock while playing for Sweden. However, the 26-year-old should be fine to feature from the start on Sunday.
Florentino Luis arrived from Benfica as a late signing in the summer transfer window, and he might be the only change to the lineup that played at Old Trafford. Should he make the starting team, then there is the likelihood of Parker tweaking his system to accommodate the Portuguese midfielder in his setup, which could see Hannibal Mejbri drop out, leading to a 4-3-3 formation.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen, Florentino; Bruun Larsen, Foster, Anthony
Liverpool
As far as Liverpool are concerned, there is hope that Jeremie Frimpong would get some minutes after resuming training, and he may feature after missing games with a hamstring issue. Curtis Jones is the only absentee as things stand, with Arne Slot confirming the same.
The big news is the arrival of Alexander Isak, with Slot leaning towards the side of caution when it comes to immediately using him. Some of the manager’s words stated that it was encouraging to see the new star striker get some minutes for Sweden, but he may not be ready to start for Liverpool just yet.
Hence, Hugo Ekitike will lead the line for the time being, and the coming weeks will determine how Slot plans on using both his strikers. While Frimpong is not expected to start, despite having Conor Bradley fit, the manager might opt to retain Dominik Szoboszlai in the right-back slot. Meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will continue to build their midfield partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Key Stats
Burnley have lost on ten of their last 11 outings while conceding 30 goals when facing the reigning Premier League champions.
Liverpool are undefeated in 34 of their last 37 matches in the Premier League.
Liverpool have won their last six away matches against Burnley in all competitions. In addition, the Reds have kept a clean sheet in their last four away matches against Burnley in all competitions.
Burnley have already shipped 37.5 per cent of their total league goals from 2024/25 (16) in the Premier League this season (6). If they concede two in this game, it would be the joint earliest in Football League history a side had already conceded 50% or more of their goal tally from the previous campaign, with Portsmouth in 1987/88 shipping 15 goals in four games, 54% of their previous campaign’s tally (28).
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
Embed from Getty Images
Without much action during pre-season, and as Arne Slot mentioned, Isak has missed a considerable period on the training ground following his protracted move to Liverpool in the summer. However, the striker did feature for Sweden, albeit off the bench for both their games and has been seen training with his new teammates since the end of the international break.
Hugo Ekitike is very much expected to start against Burnley, but all eyes will be on Isak as there is a big chance he gets his first minutes in a Liverpool shirt. Should he come off the bench to score at some stage, it would cap off a solid debut for the Swede, as this is what the Liverpool fans are widely expecting from their record signing.
Prediction
Burnley 1-4 Liverpool
Burnley did enter the last three games as underdogs, and barring the opening weekend, they have been entertaining in the other two games. There is an element of surprise from Scott Parker’s side that may or may not work against Liverpool, but it could still produce an odd goal in the contest.
Liverpool will enter this clash as the overwhelming favourites to get three points, and they might do so in emphatic fashion. Despite some concerns over their defensive performances, they are well-equipped to handle Burnley, although there is the odd chance of conceding at some stage, but they are expected to post a big win at Turf Moor. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-1 win for Arne Slot and his charges.