Burnley could close the gap at the top of the Championship table to just one point with a victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

The Clarets will start their match already knowing how league leaders Leicester City got on in the early kickoff, but whatever the result from the Foxes' game, three points will be vital for Burnley.

Anything less than a victory could see them slip out of the automatic promotion spots, depending on the result in Queens Park Rangers' game against Huddersfield Town.

Sean Dyche's side have lost just once in their last eight league matches, while their record of just three defeats all season is the best in the Championship.

The Burnley boss has new signing Ashley Barnes available for selection, but he may have to make do with a place on the bench for the second week in a row having featured for just two minutes in the victory over Yeovil Town last Saturday.

He could be joined on the bench by Ross Wallace, who returned from injury for the Under-21s last week but is not thought to be fit enough to play from the start just yet.

Burnley are the only unbeaten team at home in the Championship this season, with their last league defeat at Turf Moor coming 16 matches ago to Hull City in March, but they will face a Wednesday team full of confidence.

The Owls will still be flying following their memorable 6-0 victory over Yorkshire rivals Leeds United last weekend, and that result could be the catalyst for them to put distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

They are currently just four points clear of the bottom three, but have experienced an upturn in form under caretaker manager Stuart Gray, who has guided the side to a six-match unbeaten streak.

Their last outing saw them continue their fine goalscoring form, albeit against non-league Macclesfield Town as they progressed into the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 victory.

They will still be without Rafael Floro and Anthony Gardner for the match, while Caolan Lavery is expected to be named on the bench despite his brace against Leeds last weekend.

Recent form

Burnley: WLDWLW

Sheff Weds: DDWDWW

Possible starting lineups

Burnley: Heaton; Tripper, Shackell, Duff, Lafferty; Jones, Marney, Arfield, Ings, Treacy; Vokes

Sheff Weds: Kirkland; Palmer, Loovens, Llera, Johnson; Maguire, Semedo, Maghoma, Lee; Wickham, Nuhiu

Sports Mole says: 2-1