The last time Burnley went to Liverpool, it was a glorious day. The Pool Boys, in the midst of what had been, to that point, a perfect home season, were rendered impotent by the Burnleys’ second half charge, with Jay Rodriguez scoring the equalizer and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson hitting the bar on what was nearly a stunning winner. Making it extra special for me, personally, was that this was the first time I ever watched any of Burnley, as I turned on the last ten minutes on my phone while I sat on the john.
Can the lads do it again today?
Whom:
Burnley @ Liverpool
What:
EPL Match number 18 for the Clarets. Nearing the halfway mark. Kind of at it already because the Fulham match is still in hand.
Where:
Liverpool. The great pool of liver on the sea. The Irish Sea. I know my geography, guys. Not that well but kind of well. Irish Sea was my guess before I looked it up.
When:
2:00 PM American Central Standard Time
How to Watch:
It’s on NBCSN, folks. *eye emoji*
What’s at Stake:
For Liverpool, it’s staving off Tottenham and Everton to hold onto a Champions League spot (or, you know, trying to let one of those guys pass ‘em so they can be in Europa League position, but I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that out loud). For the Burnleys, it’s a prize far greater (than the Champions League—few prizes are greater than the Europa League): drastically improving their odds of avoiding relegation.
With a draw, Burnley would pull even with Brighton for 16th, with Brighton ahead on goal differential. With a win, Burnley would pull even with Newcastle for 15th, either even or ahead on goal differential, with Newcastle then having a chance on Saturday to pull back ahead while playing out their game-in-hand, which will be at Aston Villa.
The Odds:
The YAHOO SPORTS APP is telling me BetMGM is telling it Liverpool’s a -500 favorite, with Burnley at +1300 and a draw at +600. In short, something like a 12% chance of a draw and a 6% chance of a win. Not the best chance.
The Opponent:
Liverpool. We’ve been talking about them this whole time.
Burnley News:
Charlie Taylor’s questionable with the hamstring. Jimmy Dunne might be out with presumably covid? It’s undisclosed. No transfer window news yet, and haven’t heard anything about Alan Pace’s coronavirus bout, which I would guess is good news?
Bertie News:
Silence. Although I did find a former Bertie on Twitter.
Super excited for your thoughts on the club’s historic victory. Not to brag, but I did put $10 on Burnley +1400. #ManCity.
Post coming in the next hour. Late night last night following the triumph, as you can imagine.