'You Can Never Write Burnley Off'
- Burnley meet Leicester City at Turf Moor on Wednesday for matchday 27 of the 2020/21 Premier League season (6pm kick-off)
- Both sides are looking to bounce back from weekend defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal respectively
- Burnley Express reporter Daniel Black gives his pre-match verdict to LCFC TV ahead of the fixture
- The return of Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor could be a big boost to the Clarets' hopes of taking a positive result from the midweek fixture
The Clarets will kick-off Wednesday evening's clash with Leicester City at Turf Moor (6pm kick-off) in 15th position, five points above the relegation zone, having remained unbeaten in four of their last five Premier League fixtures.
A 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion was followed by an excellent 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park - their biggest margin of victory this season - ahead of successive draws against Fulham and West Bromwich Albion.
Earlier in the campaign, meanwhile, Burnley managed to pick up wins at Anfield and Emirates Stadium, beating both Liverpool and Arsenal away from home for the first time in the Premier League.
Black told LCFC TV: "It's been a funny old season, results have been so unpredictable. Teams have been picking up points where you'd least expect them to and then dropping points when you'd expect them to win games.
"I think Ashley Westwood summed up Burnley's last few results quite well saying it was important for them not to get beat in any of those games against Brighton, Fulham and West Brom. You don't want any of those teams at the bottom of the table to gain any ground on you.
"To go through those games unscathed was quite crucial, although it would have been nice to have picked up a win, just to open up a bit more space at the bottom end and make things a bit more comfortable."
A 4-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur is the only blot on their recent copybook, a game which outlined the quality within the opposition's ranks more than Burnley's frailties, according to Black, who is confident that Dyche's side can conjure up a reaction to their recent disappointment.
He said: "The defeat to Spurs was just one of those where you are going into a game against a José Mourinho side that had lost five of their last six Premier League games and you are expecting some kind of reaction, they are going to click at some point.
"That afternoon they just seemed to get it right and the front four were fantastic at times, their movement, the incision, the passing, the pace of the counter, the way they worked in transition, it was just absolutely incredible.
"The four of them were just popping up in different positions at the front end of the pitch and you just could not pick them up. Having gone 1-0 up so early and getting a second quite soon after, they stepped off it a little bit.
"I think if Spurs wanted to, they could have gone up another gear or two. It was one of those that you have to park to one side, learn from your mistakes, but don't let it get you down too much. It's another big game on Wednesday.
"We were heavily beaten by Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, it was 5-0, but then Burnley responded with two big wins on the bounce. That has been a narrative during Sean Dyche's reign.
"You can never write Burnley off no matter what the previous result was. We are expecting a response and we do generally get a response. They have that capability of getting results when they need to most.
"Sean Dyche always says that you can never get too high with the highs and you can never get too low with the lows, you've just got to keep going and it's got them this far living to those kind of principles and philosophies.
"They'll just take things one game at a time, Leicester City is next and that's the next biggest game and then you carry on moving forward like that."
Burnley's most potent marksman so far this term is former Foxes forward and last season's top scorer Chris Wood, who has four Premier League goals to his name, one more than Ashley Barnes.
New Zealand international Wood is likely to be included from the off on Wednesday evening, having made a substitute appearance during Sunday's defeat at Tottenham.
The other end of the pitch, meanwhile, is where Burnley have been most impressive, with nine clean sheets, the joint-fourth highest in the division along with Leicester.
Black sees the return of left-back Charlie Taylor over the last few games as key to the Clarets' chances of picking up another positive result in Lancashire.
He explained: "There's only a few clubs that he (Chris Wood) has got a better record against than Leicester. He's scored one in two against them. He does seem to like a goal against the Foxes and I think he'll start again.
"He had 20 minutes against Spurs coming back from injury, so I think he'll get thrown into the front two tomorrow, which will bring more of a presence up front for us. We need that target man again, especially with Ashley Barnes missing.
"I'd like to see a bit more from Dwight McNeil. On any given day, you'd say he was our danger man, but his stats haven't really stacked up this season - a goal and three assists probably isn't enough for a player like him with his capabilities and the threat that he can pose. If he turns it on, he's definitely one to watch.
"Defensively is where we've been more impressive at the minute. Nick Pope has been outstanding, he's pushing Jordan Pickford all the way for that no.1 spot at the Euros.
"Matt Lowton has been our stand-out player for the past four or five games. Tarky (James Tarkowski) has been excellent all season, albeit he had a quiet game against Spurs.
"Ben Mee, the captain, brilliant, and then Charlie Taylor is back from injury now which is a massive lift because I think that partnership with McNeil down the left hand side is a real strength for Burnley, so I hope they can just respond tomorrow and get a result."
All times GMT.