Burnley will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they play host to Preston North End in the EFL Championship. Both teams sit in the top half of the table and played to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture.
Burnley are on a nine-match unbeaten streak. The Clarets lead the EFL Championship table with 19 wins, eight draws, and two losses. They have scored 59 goals with an average of two goals per match. The defence has conceded 26 in return. Burnley averages 1.35 xG and 1.11 xGA per match.
Preston North End sits 11th in the league table with 11 wins, 11 losses, and seven draws. The team has scored 27 goals and conceded 33. They average 1.11 xG and 1.23 xGA per match.
We now look at some of the stats of the two teams that could help predict the outcome of the match.
Burnley’s dominance in the attack
Burnley are the top goalscorer in the EFL Championship. They carry a lot of attacking threats and average 28.76 positional attacks and 1.62 counterattacks per match. Kompany’s men take 11.52 shots, and 40.7% of these shots have been on target. The xG map above shows that most of the shots that have resulted in goals have been attempted towards the corner of the goal. This shows how clinical Burnley players have been with their finishing.
Preston North End, on the other hand, struggled in the attack. They create 25.55 positional attacks and 1.69 counterattacks per match. Preston players take 10.14 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 35.4%. The xG map shows that the goals have been scored from inside the six-yard box as well as from the edge of the box.
Preston North End’s dominance in the air
One of the areas where Preston is likely to dominate their opposition is in their ability to win aerial duels. They have the highest aerial duels win rate in the EFL Championship this season. The defensive territory shows that Preston haven’t given any silly free kicks in the dangerous areas. They commit fouls in the attacking half and try to avoid tackles in the defensive third.
Burnley have leaked around a goal per match. They have performed decently in the defence. The above viz shows that the Clarets have committed some fouls at the top of the defensive third. They are an attacking side and perform few defensive actions. Vincent Kompany will hope that his side keeps a clean sheet.
Key Players
Burnley have a lot of match-winners in their squad. One of them is 22-year-old Moroccan forward Anass Zaroury. He has six goals and three assists to his name. Since the World Cup, Zaroury has scored two goals and provided an assist. He plays on the left flank and likes to cut inside to take a show. The player is also capable of finding the back of the net from outside the penalty box. He will look to improve his tally in this match.
Team news
There are no new injury concerns in both camp. Both managers are expected to go with a strong starting 11.
Betting Analysis
According to the 1×2 betting odds, Burnley have an odds rate of around 1.55 to win the match. They are the favourites to take three points from this match. As for the over/under lines, the odds rate for over 2.5 goals is 2.2. There are chances that Burnley might score more than two goals in this match.
Burnley are the favourites to win this match. They face a Preston North End side struggling for goals. A win in this match will take them closer to promotion.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
