Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to an out-of-form Burnley side on Monday night.
Spurs threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with West Ham United in the league last weekend but will fancy their chances of triumphing at Turf Moor due to Burnley's early-season struggles.
Match preview
It is far too early in the season to worry about the league table, but the fact that Burnley are currently 18th with just one point to show from their opening four games of the campaign is far from ideal.
Goals have been a problem - just three so far - but performances have also been disappointing, losing against Leicester City, Southampton and Newcastle United in their opening three matches.
Sean Dyche's side did manage to get off the mark in terms of points last weekend with a draw at West Bromwich Albion, but they are now looking at back-to-back home matches with Tottenham and Chelsea.
Burnley have finished 16th, seventh, 15th and 10th in the Premier League since winning the 2015-16 Championship and have become a notoriously difficult team to overcome.
They have only won one of their last five home league games dating back to last season, though, and the pressure could quickly start to build on the management team if the team's poor run of form continues.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have picked up eight points from their first five games of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign to occupy eighth position in the table.
A 6-1 win at Manchester United before the international break led to them being branded title contenders by some and that argument was strengthened when they raced into a 3-0 lead against West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend.
Spurs showed that they still have plenty to work on in the latter stages, though, with West Ham scoring three late goals - including a stunner from Manuel Lanzini - to secure a share of the spoils in the London derby.
Jose Mourinho's side did return to winning ways on Thursday night, though, opening their Europa League challenge with a comfortable 3-0 win over LASK Linz.
No team has scored more Premier League goals than Tottenham (15) this season, with Son Heung-min and Harry Kane both in sensational form in the early weeks of the campaign. There are still question marks over the team's defensive qualities, though, which could ultimately undermine their pursuit of silverware.
Burnley Premier League form: LLLD
Burnley form (all competitions): LWLLLD
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form: LWDWD
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions): DWWWDW
Team News
Burnley will again be without the services of Jack Cork and Ben Mee on Monday night, while Phillip Bardsley is unavailable for selection, having tested positive for coronavirus.
Erik Pieters is also a doubt for the clash due to a calf injury, but Matthew Lowton has made strong progress in his recovery from an ankle issue and should be available for Dyche's team.
Ashley Barnes is once again expected to line up alongside Chris Wood in the final third of the field, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson should get the nod over Robbie Brady on the right.
As for Tottenham, Japhet Tanganga is definitely out of the contest with a thigh issue, while Eric Dier is also a doubt with the hamstring problem that he picked up on international duty with England.
Dier is unlikely to be risked, meaning that Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez should again line up as the two central defenders, while Serge Aurier could again edge out Matt Doherty to start at right-back.
Gareth Bale is pushing for his first Premier League start since returning to Spurs, with the Wales international appearing off the bench in their last two games with West Ham and LASK.
Steven Bergwijn was not used on Thursday, though, suggesting that he will get the nod alongside Son and Kane in attack, while Tanguy Ndombele, Moussa Sissoko and Hugo Lloris should all return to the XI.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Long, Tarkowski, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Barnes, Wood
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Son, Ndombele, Bergwijn; Kane
We say: Burnley 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley are certainly capable of making it a difficult match for Spurs, and we fancy the hosts to get on the scoresheet against an unconvincing Tottenham defence. That said, Mourinho's side have so much quality in the final third, and we are expecting a relatively comfortable away win on Monday night.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data
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