West Ham United vs Burnley

West Ham United’s quest to secure their first-ever Premier League top-four finish continues this weekend as they welcome relegation-battling Burnley to the London Stadium.

Fresh from a breathtaking 3-0 Europa League triumph at Lyon that fired them to their first European semi-finals since 1976, West Ham will be looking to get their stuttering Premier League campaign back on track. A lack of consistency has seen the ‘Irons’ alternate between victories (3) and defeats (3) across their last six league outings. But following fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur’s shocking home loss to Brighton, a six-point gap suddenly looks bridgeable. Yet, David Moyes’ men have failed to get on the scoresheet in five of their last eight Premier League encounters against Burnley. Moreover, the ‘Hammers’ have lost twice in their four previous league H2Hs in the capital (W2), drawing a blank in each defeat. That said, West Ham have found the back of the net in each of their last 17 Premier League matches on home turf.

In the meantime, Burnley’s disastrous 2-0 home defeat to basement boys Norwich City last time out may have condemned the ‘Clarets’ to certain relegation. With four points separating them from 17th-placed Everton, Sean Dyche’s side can ill-afford more slip-ups, but their underwhelming away form spells trouble. Indeed, the visitors are winless in their last three Premier League matches on the road (D1, L2), with both losses coming by the identical 2-0 scoreline. Burnley’s defensive frailties have seen them concede 2+ goals in each of their last six Premier League outings, last experiencing a longer such streak in England’s top-flight back in 1960. A slow start could cost Burnley dearly, as they’ve won none of their nine Premier League away games when conceding first this season (D2, L7).