Burnley v Wolves: The low-down on the Clarets

We spoke with Dave Roberts, Burnley podcaster for No Nay Never, to get a proper take on the Clarets, who have had a testing season.

See what he had to say here...

Burnley are battling it out towards the foot of the table, how would you say this season's been from a Clarets perspective?

I think most Burnley supporters were realistic, and did not expect a repeat of last season's seventh place finish.

Although there were hopes of consolidation, the reality is that any season could end up as a battle for survival.

After a frustrating start to the season, with just one point from the first five matches, and 12 points at the halfway point, things had started to look up with a sequence of eight matches unbeaten after the low point of a 1-5 home defeat to Everton on Boxing Day.

A home win against Spurs in late February had taken us to 30 points, but four consecutive defeats since then have left the Clarets with a struggle for the remaining seven matches.

Are Burnley at genuine risk of going down? They seemed so solid and secure last season - what's changed?

Barring some sort of miracle from Fulham, it does now seem to be between Burnley and Cardiff for the third relegation spot, although Southampton aren't totally out of the woods either.

Burnley supporters realise that the club's hard-earned Premier League status is still very much at risk, and that a reversal of recent form will be needed to stay ahead of Cardiff.

The Bluebirds' visit to Turf Moor, at the start of April, will be a pivotal one.

The main change, during the first half of this season, appeared to be an worrying increase in defensive errors, which led to a drop in the confidence levels both on the pitch and in the stands.

The Premier League can be unforgiving, with the stark reality being that there are now almost two separate leagues within a league, with all but the so-called 'big six' facing an annual battle to ensure safety.

January has obviously come and gone, did Sean Dyche strengthen over the month?

The January window was a relatively quiet one all round, and in Burnley's case resulted in one out (Sam Vokes to Stoke City) and one in (Peter Crouch, coming the other way).

In the short term, from a current squad strength perspective, this probably left us in a similar position, although at 38, Peter Crouch is clearly only ever going to be a short term signing.

How have you rated that aforementioned transfer business?

There seemed to be a certain logic to cashing in on a player who is almost 30 and wanted first team football, which Sam Vokes wasn't getting at Burnley, especially with the money that had been offered.

The real test, will be how the Burnley board reinvest that money in the summer transfer window.

In contrast to Burnley, Wolves have done very well this season so far - how do you think Burnley will approach this game? What style of play can we expect?

Burnley will want to prevent Wolves from playing the sort of expansive, attacking football, which they have shown on many occasions this season.

If Sean Dyche and the players can frustrate Wolves, then this will be the best chance of getting a positive result. However, if Wolves are able to open up the game, and regularly get in behind the Burnley back four with pace, then this is likely to give the home side more problems.

Wolves put in a dominant display, but only won 1-0 earlier on this season, will Dyche has this game in his thoughts when preparing for this weekend?

I'm sure that Sean Dyche and his team will have learned from the reverse fixture, which was during a period of the season when the Clarets were struggling, and were playing against a less familiar team.

Promoted sides often start well and then tail off, although Wolves seem to have been able to keep their momentum going.

I wouldn't foresee there being any drastically different approaches on Saturday, other than to try to remain more resolute at the back, with an appetite to press Wolves in midfield, and ultimately to try and get better service to the strikers, who have been good at taking their chances when the opportunities have arisen.

What sort of line-up can we expect from Burnley, what's your predicted XI?

I don't expect many changes to the Burnley team, which has been very settled since the New Year. The only changes may be ones that are forced by injuries.

I would expect Burnley to line up with Tom Heaton in goal, with a back four of Taylor, Mee, Tarkowski and Bardsley. Jeff Hendrick, who scored for the Republic of Ireland at the weekend, may well return to midfield, at the expense of Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

I would expect Ashley Westwood and Jack Cork to keep their places in central midfield, and for Dwight McNeil to also keep his place in the team.

Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood have been the team's main goal threat this season, and will more than likely be the two-pronged strike force yet again.

One other scenario concerns Phil Bardsley, who is just one caution away from a suspension for ten yellow cards.

It's possible, but unlikely, that Matt Lowton could take his place at right-back.

Who's the biggest threat in Burnley's ranks in your opinion, and why?

Dwight McNeil is still only 19, but has been a revelation since he established himself in the team after Christmas.

From midfield, he has been a driving force in Burnley's attacking play during the second half of the season, and has been the sort of creative player who can unlock other team's defences.

He has recently been called up to the England U20s, and seems to have a very bright future ahead of him.

What have you made of Wolves from afar, do you think they've got what it takes to finish seventh this season? And also, how would you recommend they handle European qualification if so, given your experience with it this season?

Seventh place would be an incredible achievement, after just being promoted last season.

Unlike Fulham, who have spent big and still struggled, especially defensively, Wolves do appear to have spent more wisely, in their attempts to build a team and a squad that is more than capable of a prolonged run in the top flight.

If European qualification is achieved at the first attempt, then there will be a big step up in terms of the demands on the squad.

It may need further investment to ensure the strength in depth that would be needed to meet the challenges of the domestic and European competitions.

Your match prediction?

I think it will be a tight game, but I am banking on Burnley regaining some of their resilience, and Wolves' continuing to struggle against teams towards the bottom of the league.

I know that Wolves have a remarkably good historical away record at Turf Moor, but Burnley are more desperate for the points and so I am going to predict a narrow 2-1 home victory.

You can follow Dave on Twitter by searching for @DLRbrts, you can hear him on the No Nay Never podcast here.