Midweek Burnley here we go.
Whom:
Burnley vs. Tottenham
What:
EFL Cup, Round of 16
Where:
Turf Moor
When:
1:45 PM EDT
How to Watch:
ESPN+
What’s at Stake:
Some money.
Theoretically, Burnley could get themselves a Europa Conference League (UEFA CBI, for the NIT fans in the room) berth through winning this tournament, but that’s pretty unlikely to actually happen still, so really it’s a little bit of pride, a little bit of fun, and a few thousand pounds.
The Odds:
The Burnleys are at +128 to advance, with Tottenham at -155. The English translation on that is that Burnley’s something like 41% likely to make it through. A draw in regulation, and therefore penalty kicks, is at +240, which means it’s about 27% likely.
Burnley Squad:
It’s unclear who will get rested, but Ben Mee might be back available.
The Opponent:
The Spurs. The Tottenham Hotspurs (*ducks*). They haven’t been as good since finishing as runners up in the Championship League in 2019, but they’re a good team, better than Burnley, deeper than Burnley and therefore better equipped to field strong cup squads than Burnley.
Other Burnley News:
I haven’t seen anything big the last few days, but they’ve snuck things past me before!
Burnley FC Women:
The move to Lancashire FA’s County Ground is officially a permanent one, and the squad will host West Brom there on Sunday.
Partner Clubs
Ayr United (Scotland, second tier) lost the Ayrshire Derby to Kilmanock last night on a late penalty, with the league leaders’ keeper calling Ayr’s stadium a shithole after the game. They’ll visit Raith Rovers on Saturday.
Portadown (Northern Ireland, first tier) beat Ballinamallard (second tier) to move on to the quarterfinals of the Northern Ireland League Cup. They’ll visit Coleraine for a league match on Saturday, with a long climb to go to get out of relegation danger.
Cobh Ramblers (Ireland, second tier) will finish their season Friday at Athlone Town. With a win and a Cabinteely draw or loss, or with a draw and a Cabinteely loss, or with a loss and a Cabinteely loss by a lot, Cobh will finish eighth in the ten-team league. Otherwise, they’re ninth. Cabinteely hosts fourth-place Treaty United.
Llandudno (Wales, second tier) hosts Prestatyn on Friday, trying to get up into second in Cymru North.
