Injury to Burnley duo could boost West Brom survival chances
Burnley players Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady are set to miss the clash against West Brom, according to Sean Dyche.
Their absence is a big boost for Albion, who are looking for a first win in six games when the sides meet on Saturday.
Burnley have been in good form recently with just two defeats in their last seven league games, and Gudmundsson has played a key role recently.
The Iceland international scored against both Crystal Palace and Brighton before being forced off with injury against Fulham on Wednesday.
Brady has also featured in 17 games for the Clarets, so Big Sam should be buoyed by their absence this weekend.
We have to take advantage
Allardyce can use the pair’s absence to instill belief in our players, particularly after our brilliant performance last week.
We easily could have beaten Manchester United and a similar showing should lead to three points at Turf Moor.
A win could spark an unlikely revival, as we have matches against Brighton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace coming up after that.
Winning all four is an unlikely prospect, but wins breed confidence and we looked a different side last week with our four main January arrivals featuring.
Okay Yoksulu has added steel to our midfield with three tackles in 78 minutes as a Baggie (WhoScored) so is perfect for the physical challenge of Burnley, as is Mbaye Diagne.
His aerial presence has added a new dimension to the attack with 5.3 aerial duels won per game, per WhoScored.
That is more than Burnley centre-backs James Tarkowski and Ben Mee have achieved (WhoScored), so Diagne could get the better of them.
Allardyce’s confidence in the defence is growing too and we did not allow Man United any clear openings last week – Bruno Fernandes had to produce a touch of magic for their goal.
Robert Snodgrass has also spoken about an increasing sense of belief amongst the squad, so we are quietly confident of getting back to winning ways – especially since Gudmundsson and Brady will miss out.
In other West Brom news, Steve Madeley: WBA ‘very likely’ to offer new contract to ace with 16 PL apps on one factor.