MATCH PREVIEW: Burnley vs West Ham United

This one has been labeled as the Battle of the Kiwi’s and for good reason. Burnley’s Chris Wood against West Ham’s Winston Reid. It should be a good clash of the Kiwi’s nonetheless, however we need to look at the wider game completely.

West Ham United will travel away to Turf Moor this week as we take on Burnley for those all important 3 points. As always, we’ll look at the players to watch, the big clash of Reid and Wood, as well as the score predictions as well.

Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jeff Hendrick (BUR) and Manuel Lanzini (WHU)

Jeff Hendrick was the deciding factor between Burnley and Everton at Goodison Park last match week as he helped his Clarets go 1-0 up over the hosts. His superb goal after 88 minutes. He’ll definitely be a player to watch for this weekend as he’ll no doubt link up play with Chris Wood and help break down our defensive formation on the day.

Manuel Lanzini will be another player to watch for as he’ll be hungry for a goal after coming back from injury against Swansea City. Lanzini’s pace, eye for the ball and general physicality can be the difference between a goal in Burnley’s net and a goal in ours. His link up play between Diafra Sakho, Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic will help bring West Ham United up to a huge level, should he start.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

REIDY vs WOOD: The Battle of the Kiwi’s

Now, this may not be a big deal in the wider sense of the Premier League match, however West Ham United’s Winston Reid has already issued a warning to the Burnley striker, saying something along the lines of “You get in my way, I’ll bring you down.”

That may or may not be the actual words, but it does give us the impression this will be a game to watch!

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Stats Reveal...

Looking at the head-to-head between West Ham and Burnley for the last 6 Premier League fixtures, it appears West Ham have the added advntage against Burnley, having won 5 of the last 6 matches, with three won at both Upton Park and the London Stadium with two being won at Turf Moor.

Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Of that, it should be noted the first clash at the London Stadium between these two teams resulted in a 1-0 win, thanks to a Mark Noble penalty from the spot, just seconds from the final whistle.

SCORE PREDICTIONS: Oh no... Here we go again

Usually, the score will reflect differently from those predicted. Today is no different.

TKH: Burnley are a hugely unpredictable team. They’ve found form early on in the season and it’s shown they have a game plan for this weekend, and this season as a whole. In saying that, the last time we visited Burnley’s Turf Moor, we had a great day out with Andre Ayew and Sofiane Feghouli scoring two goals with Sam Vokes putting one past us.

I remain hopeful though. I’m thinking a nice 3-1 West Ham win, especially if the rumours of Diafra Sakho, Chicharito, Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic all starting are true!!

Chris: I’m hopeful as well, but not as much as TKH. I’m saying another 2-1 win for West Ham United. Simple as that!

Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

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