Burnley

In second week of the Premier League, Manchester United travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley who will be hosting their first ever Premier League match.

Last Saturday, Burnley lost their first fixture 2-0 against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. A day later Manchester United beat Birmingham City 1-0 at Old Trafford.

Here is a preview of the match for both clubs.

Burnley

As first games go in the Premier League, welcoming the champions Manchester United is fairly daunting. Burnley will need to do several thing in order to succeed:

The first is to play as hard as they can, they will need to pressure the Red Devils if they are to get a result. Second, Burnley can't give in an inch to Manchester United just because they are champions, allowing Sir Alex Ferguson's men room to dominate play won't help the cause.

Finally, the fans need to get behind their team—making as much noise as in humanly possible.

If Burnley can do all this, they have a chance of grabbing a result from this game.

Manchester Untied

In their first match away from Old Trafford this season Manchester United will have to do the following to succeed:

Firstly they will need to put pressure on the Burnley defense early and often, this will set the tone of the match—the earlier they do this the better.

Manchester United's defense will be weak. Rio Ferdinand is injured and will miss the next two or three matches, he is joined on the sidelines by Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans, who also have injuries.

Because of their problems at the back, expect Wayne Rooney to take up a major role in the game. After his game-winning goal last week, he has quickly established himself as the most important player to Manchester United. The Englishman will need to continue his goal-scoring form if United want to win this game.

Rooney will be a crucial part of their challenge for the Premier League title this year.

This should be a good match between Burnley and Manchester United. Both need the three points for different reasons, and it will be an important match for both clubs.

Burnley v Manchester United, Premier League, August 19, 2009

Burnley 15/2; Draw 10/3; Manchester United 2/7

What a way for the 72,000 inhabitants of Burnley to welcome the return of Premier League football to Turf Moor. On Wednesday night Burnley will kick off their first home match after a 33-year top flight absence by playing host to the reigning champions, and local neighbours, Manchester United.

Last season was sprinkled with positives for Burnley. Up-and-coming manager Owen Coyle, having successfully guided the Clarets out of the Championship via the play-offs, also managed to suggest that the newbies can hold their own with the Premier League big-boys after beating Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal on their way to the Carling Cup semi-finals, where they eventually lost to Spurs in extra-time.

The opening day of the 2009/10 season showed though that the next ten months will be a constant battle for survival for the minnows. Stoke ran out 2-nil winners at the Britannia Stadium, but it was the porous nature of the Burnley defence - a backline which conceded 60 goals in the 46 games last season - which was all too plain to see.

In attack, the Clarets will look to Robbie Blake and Martin Peterson against United, however with the pair only managing to score 20 goals all-together last term, it may yet be a while before either man break their duck in the top flight. Also looking to open his account is new £3m signing Steven Fletcher - the 22-year-old former Hibs striker who has four Scotland caps joined Burnley in the summer after scoring 52 goals 190 appearances at Easter Road.

Elsewhere, there are some familiar faces for United fans in Burnley’s squad with Chris Eagles lining up in midfield and Richard Eckersley mooted for a debut after sealing his switch from the Red Devils.

While Burnley’s goal-threat is minimal, much like Birmingham proved at Old Trafford, as long as Coyle’s charges are willing to run-hard and invest bucket-loads of energy in chasing shadows, United’s task on the night will be far from smooth-sailing.

The champions already have three points on the board, but they also have a series of selection headaches to boot. At the back Sir Alex will likely be without the services of Van der Sar, Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic, although on the positives Ben Foster looked to have brushed aside his less-than-perfect performance in the Community Shield, while Wes Brown has returned to the United first team.

Having failed to impress in the season opener, both Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Nani could find themselves benched in favour of Michael Owen and Park Ji-sung respectively. Antonio Valencia should get another chance to impress down the right-hand side, while two out of Carrick, Anderson Fletcher, Scholes and Giggs will claim the final two places in the centre of the pitch.

All eyes though will remain fixed on Wayne Rooney as the champions leading marksman.

101predicts: Burnley 0 - Manchester United 2 (9/2)

Burnley 15/2; Draw 10/3; Manchester United 2/7

Full match odds here.

Kilmarnock v Burnley, pre-season friendly, August 5, 2009

Kilmarnock 9/5; Draw 12/5; Burnley 11/10

Without jumping the gun too much, Burnley’s start to life as a Premier League club has so far not been the best. The Clarets were, by manager Owen Coyle’s own admission, “one-paced” in the 2-1 home defeat at hands of Leeds United last Saturday, and having brought in only modest looking players during the transfer window, life in the top flight for the Lancastrians could yet prove a depressing, morale sapping experience.

Hoping to revive spirits before Burnley’s curtain-raiser against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, Coyle will be demanding better for his charges during their upcoming two-match trip to Scotland.

A new addition could yet make their debut for Burnley in the match with Killie. Coyle is waiting on Ecuadorians side Independiente del Valle to rubber-stamp a deal for 19-year-old home-grown international winger Fernando Guerrero (pictured). A deal appears to be agreed in principle for a player who has an EU passport after spending six years with Real Madrid.

The Clarets are also hoping to have defender Michael Duff and last season’s top goalscorer Martin Paterson back fit for their Scottish tour following their respective pre-season absences due to hamstring and ankle problems.

Having impressed after coming on as substitutes against the Whites, Kevin McDonald and Richard Eckersley could well get a start on Thursday night, while more will be expected of Wade Elliott, Chris Eagles and Robbie Blake if the Clarets are to claim the win.

If Burnley are in a funk then their opponents Kilmarnock can empathise. Last Wednesday Killie were sunk 3-2 by Partick Thistle, and they followed that up with a weekend loss to Championship side Swansea, taking a 4-1 battering in Wales.

The major plus point of the match with the Swans was the debut of nomadic striker Mark Burchill, the forward having sealed his move to Rugby Park on Saturday morning before coming on as a halftime sub in the defeat. Outside of that there was little reason for manager Jim Jefferies to be happy, although the coach did manage to excuse the heavy loss by saying “we had a nightmare bus journey down to Wales on Friday and I think that took its toll on some of the boys.”

Kevin Kyle, Allan Russell, Craig Bryson and Alan Combe all missed the match last weekend through injury, although hopes are high that Bryson and Combe will recover in time for the visit of Burnley.

With no other injury news to report Killie will be optimistic that their blend of youthful talent -Jamie Hamill and Conor Sammon in particular - will be able to lead their team to victory alongside the more established pros of trickster Mehdi Taouil and serial goalscorer Danny Invincibile.

101predicts: Kilmarnock 1 - Burnley 1 (6/1)

Kilmarnock 9/5; Draw 12/5; Burnley 11/10

Full match odds here.

Burnley 1 - Sheffield United 0 (Championship playoff final, May 25, 2009) Wade Elliott was the match winner for the Clarets, the midfielder picking up a loose ball outside the penalty area in the 13th minute before curling a beauty over Paddy Kenny into the top corner.

The Blades could not find a way back into the game, losing Jamie Ward for a second bookable offence in the second half. Burnley’s post match celebrations can be seen here.

Elfsborg 1 - Trelleborg 0 (Allsvenskan, May 25, 2009) Elfsborg overcame Trelleborgs thanks to Daniel Nordmark’s goal on the hour.

IFK Gothenburg 2 - Malmo 0 (Allsvenskan, May 25, 2009) League leaders IFK stayed at the top of the table with goals by Pontus Wernbloom (13) and Tobias Hysen (68) as the visitors failed to put up much of a fight.

Antwerp 1 - Roeselare 3 (Jupiler League playoffs, May 24, 2009) Roeselare’s Moroccan striker Abdessalam Benjelloun was the hero for the visitors with a brace early in the second half.

Dender 1 - Lierse 1 (Jupiler League playoffs, May 24, 2009)

It was an inspiring and moving experience to be present at both of the Carling Cup semifinal matches between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur and whilst as a Spurs supporter I was of course pleased that Tottenham scraped through, triumph is the last of the emotions I feel. 

This was football at its best and, in many ways, football as it used to be. Whilst the prima donnas of the top clubs in the Premiership fill the tabloid columns and the shenanigans surrounding there ownership creates headlines on the financial as well as the sports pages, Burnley vs. Spurs was all and only about football.

It was as far removed from the grotesquery of Manchester City’s owners trying to buy Kaka and success as it is possible to get.

The core attraction of football, the quality that gave rise to the perhaps overused descriptor "The Beautiful Game", is its simplicity and the way that this allows spectators instantly to relate to the action. We saw two five goal matches at White Hart Lane and at Turf Moor – ten goals in 210 minutes of pulsating football.

The goals, one every 20 minutes or so, were the just rewards for effort and ambition—especially so in Burnley’s case. Football, above all cup football, can be a great leveller and no more so than in this clash in which one team, Spurs, had many players who individually earn more than the total staffing costs of the Burnley squad.

I use “earn” with a slight sense of irony because although there was no lack of effort from Tottenham on the two nights few of the players really justified their big transfer fees or their mega earnings.

With far lesser resources at his disposal Owen Coyle has created a team that completely outplayed Harry Redknapp’s bunch of stars for much of both games.

At the Lane Burnley were by far the better side in the first half and deserved their one goal interval lead – it should have been more. Then, in a 20-minute spell in the second half, Spurs played their best football of the season to score four goals and seemingly put the tie out of Burnley’s reach.

But from the start at Turf Moor there was no feeling of doom, gloom or resignation on the part of the Burnley faithful – nor, crucially, among the players either. There is a symbiosis here which Alastair Campbell (yes that Alastair Campbell) referred to prophetically in the programme:

“Winning 3-0 against a Premiership side of course won’t be easy. But if the players don’t believe it nobody can. And if the players do believe it, then so can we”. Well win 3-0 is exactly what Burnley then did – over 90 minutes. And had this been a European two-leg tie rather than the Carling Cup that would have been it—Burnley would have been on their way to Wembley.

But quirkily the rules of this competition meant that they had to play another thirty minutes without conceding a goal—and that was just beyond them and Spurs escaped with the latest of strikes from Pavlyuchenko and Defoe.

If you are a seeker-after of justice then don’t be a sports fan – that’s not always how it works. The Burnley team and their superb supporters certainly deserved to go to Wembley not just for their efforts and their style but also for their skill and bloody-minded determination not to give up – and for their belief.  

They have two more chances this season in the FA Cup and possibly in the play-offs from the Championship. I won’t be the only Spurs supporter wishing them well. On Mar. 1 whilst I’ll be hoping that the Tottenham All-Stars win the Carling Cup I will have a slight embarrassment that the Spurs are there at all and a memory of two semifinal encounters that transcended sport and restored my faith in human nature, if not in natural justice.

On Tuesday night at a packed Turf Moor, an Arsenal side made up pretty much of the club's academy players crashed out of the Carling Cup at the quarterfinal stage.

Take nothing away from Burnley, who played a superb game. As they say, you can only beat what is put in front of you.

Having already knocked out Fulham and Chelsea, Owen Coyle got his tactics spot on yet again as Burnley set about harassing Arsenal and marked some key players out of the game. At times the Championship side rode their luck, but they were more than a match for the Gunners who didn't take opportunities when they arose, with Nicholas Bendtner being particularly wasteful.

The teams lined up as follows:

Burnley: Jensen, Duff, Carlisle, Caldwell, Jordan, Alexander, Blake, McDonald, McCann, Eagles, Paterson

Arsenal: Fabianski, Rodgers, Hoyte, Silvestre, Gibbs, Randall, Ramsey, Merida, Wilshere, Bendtner, Vela

The 19-year-old defender Paul Rodgers made a surprise debut for the North London side, with some suggesting that Wenger was putting the Englishman in the shop window, having been unable to find him a club. He was replaced after 45 minutes by Henri Lansbury after getting a torrid time from the Burnley forwards.

The game was not even 10 minutes old when Burnley hit the front.

Chris Eagles floated over a wonderful cross that Fabianski failed to collect allowing Kevin McDonald to slot home.

Arsenal then had a fair share of chances through Bendtner, Vela, and Randall, who all spurned their opportunities while at the other end Fabianski got down well to deny Martin Paterson.

The second half was barely underway when Mark Randall summed up his night by getting a yellow card for a clumsy tackle on McDonald. Randall had a game to forget for Arsenal were he seemed to over-try things and many were surprised to see Wenger bringing off Wilshere instead of Randall.

Then again it was after nine o'clock. Somebody's bedtime!

A wonderful move by Fran Merida—the next Cesc Fabregas apparently—almost led to the equaliser. He cut in from the last before floating past two defenders only to see his curl go just wide.

Five minutes later and the home side were 2-0 to the good with McDonald scoring his second of the night, having out-muscled Randall and curling the ball around the Polish keeper with the outside of his foot.

From then on both sides created a few chances without much materialising, and Burnley held on to deservedly go through to the semifinals.

Before the game Wenger wanted to know what his youngsters were made of. While they played some great football, they just could not finish off their moves.

The Frenchman will have learnt that Paul Rodgers may find it tough to get a club, that Mark Randall needs to go back out on loan, and that the only use for Nicholas Bendtner's pink boots is to kick him up the arse so he can produce the quality he has a little more often.

Expect to see some of the Arsenal squad that played tonight go out on loan, with Steve Bruce's Wigan coming knocking on the door. Also expect to see Fran Merida in the future.

But for now the Carling Cup is over for the kids and it is time for them to get some well-earned rest and not to be out past their bedtime. Credit to these young guys; they have given some good performances and can hold their heads up high.

As for Burnley: Go on lads, win the Cup! Ye deserve it!

Arsenal may not be playing too well in the Premier League with 8 wins 2 draws and a disappointing five losses, but Arsenal's youth team has a huge chance to bring home the Carling Cup and Arsenal's first trophy in 3 years.

It is fair to say that this is the best group of youngsters Wenger's ever had and it is also fair to say that they are easily the favourites to take home the Carling Cup.

Having all ready hammered the likes of Sheffield United 6-0 and Wigan 3-0, the youngsters will be full of confidence going into the quarter-finals and being up against a side like Burnley you can't help but wonder the score may get to double figures.

Arsenal line up is sure to contain maturity, speed, finese,skill and a whole lot of teenagers.

Likely team

Goalkeeper: Lukas Fabianski (C)

The captain and the oldest player at 23. Fabainski is an oustanding goalkeeper and is yet to let in a goal in this campaign and it is likely to stay that way against Burnely. Equipped with superb reactions and great hands its hard to see anything getting past the Polish superstar.

Right Back: Gavin Hoyte

The captain of the reserves and has already played a league game for Arsenal. The younger brother of former Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte, Gavin will no doubt keep the right side safe and will also bring great speed and crossing ability to the attack

Right Center Back: Alexandre Song

Not his preferred position but Song certainly knows how to defend. His no-nonsense style of defence will mean Burnley will have to a hell of al ot to get through.

Left CenterBack: Johan Djourou

This boy has a huge future ahead of him as he is a superb defender. He is already made his way into the first team and it is hard to see any attacker get past Johan. Expect to see make a number of fine tackles and interceptions.

Left Back: Kieran Gibbs

In the mould of Mathieu Flamini and can play anywhere on the pitch. Gibbs is a very talented defender who has a solid tackle and can also attack very well. Will no doubt get himself forward and have shots on goal.

Right Midfield: Fran Merida

Hailed as the future Fabregas and why not? The kid has immense talent and a great footballing brain. His quick feet and balance will surely be too much for the Burnley defence.

Right Center Midfield: Aaron Ramsey

This kids got huge talent and is a superb midfielder who will cause huge problems for Burnley in so many aspects. This kid will surely go on and be an Arsenal great.

Left center midfield: Mark Randall

Will do the defending bit in the midfield and will no doubt do his job well. Randall is the silent achiever in the Carling Cup Squad who probably deserves more credit then he gets. Expect to see some great passing from the Englishmen.

Left midfield: Jack Wilshere

Wow, Where to start. Wonder kid, a teenage sensation who is 16. Jack has been superb for Arsenal every time he has come on the field. The man of the match against Wigan which makes you ponder what could he do against Burnley.

Right Striker: Jay Simpson

A hugely talented striker blessed with amazing strength and power. Simpson has work his way up from junior ranks and has finally represented Arsenal. Simpson has be superb for the Arsenal youth and reserves scoringmany hattricks. Las year Simpson was loaned out to League One strugglers Millwall and his peformances there earned him League One Player of the Year. Got on the score sheet twice against Wigan and he will be hoping to go one better against Burnley.

Left Striker: Carlos Vela

This boy is phenomenal and has already been dazzling for Arsenal with a superb hattrick against Sheffield and an excellent chip goal against Wigan. Wenger seems reluctant to use Vela in the League so this is a big opportunity for Vela to make his mark. Maybe a fiver on the Mexican to score!

Substitues

Vito Mannone

A talented keeper who is yet to represented Arsenal but does have a big future

Amaury Bischoff

He is very talented and a handy player but has been hampered by injury hopefully he can make his mark if he gets his chance

Henri Laurensby

A big, strong powerful boy who can play on the wing or up front expect to see him score

Nicklas Bendtner

Most already know about Bendtner, don't expect to see him play if Arsenal get off to a good start but if they seem to be struggling he will probably see some play 

Francis Coquillen

Much in the Vieria Makelele mould, Francis has a big future at Arsenal and could be the next Vieria.

Rene Steer

A reliable defender/winger. Steer has been at the club for a while now playing in the junior ranks and has been superb for the reserves

Emmanuel Frimpong

Very talented boy who is still a tad inexperienced but has a future

As you can see a fantastic team that boast amazing skill and you have to think they should easily do away with Burnely. I see a 6-0 thrashing.

Barney Corkhill introduces a new series to Bleacher Report in which he debates, and asks the readers to join in the debate, current issues in the world of football. Don't be shy to voice your opinion!

I start off with an argument to do with Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Now, as you most likely know by now, Drogba had a coin thrown at him during Chelsea's Carling Cup defeat to Burnley.

Instead of picking up the coin and presenting it as evidence to the referee, he stuck his middle finger up and threw it back. I must say, I'm surprised he didn't writhe around in agony for half an hour!

He has since been charged by the FA, and the time for him to lodge an appeal is fast running out. The likelihood that he will make an appeal, however, is very small, considering he has accepted the fine, Chelsea have accepted the fine, and there is damning evidence against him.

The high definition cameras caught him committing the act in question in the best quality picture.

But, for once, I'm on Drogba's side here. I have made no secret of my dislike for him in the past, I still maintain that he is the most disgraceful player I have ever seen play football, but he was right to throw that coin back.

There are conditions, though. As long as he threw the coin back at the very "fan" who threw it at him, and not just some innocent bystander who was also in a Burnley shirt, then I side with him.

The players have to deal with so much abuse and, when it turns physical, why should they have fewer rights than anyone else?

If a supporter throws something at you, you throw it back. Is that sinking to their level? Perhaps, but that is the way I think it should be done.

Now, a major argument against Drogba is that, if a fan is caught throwing a coin on camera, he will get a life-time ban from the stadium, yet Drogba gets a few matches on the touchlines.

But what you must remember is that the fan threw the coin at Drogba first. If it had been the other way round, then the result would have been a lot different. It could even be seen as an act of self-defence, although that is perhaps stretching it a bit.

If a fan provokes a player, the player should be able to take reasonable action. I support Drogba just like I supported Eric Cantona when he kung-fu kicked the fan, or like I supported Jamie Carragher when he threw a coin back.

It is the same with players on players. If one player provokes you with unnecessary abuse or force, I support them if they decide to take physical action (Zinedine Zidane's headbutt is a perfect example of this).

So, what do you think? Was Drogba right to throw the coin back at the Burnley fans? Or should he have picked up the coin and given it to the referee as evidence? Or should he have even ignored it altogether?

Have your say here and feel free to agree or disagree with whatever I, or anyone else, has said!