Burnley entertain fellow Championship heavyweights in Friday night clash

By Amos Murphy

Vincent Kompany’s Burnley will look to return to winning ways when they welcome an in-form Norwich City side to Turf Moor on Friday evening.

A Premier League clash as little as five months ago, the Friday night fixture promises to entertain, so make sure to follow the live score from the top of the table clash via the Flashscore app or website.

In their first Championship season since 2015/16, Burnley have coped well with life back in the second tier so far, taking 13 points from their opening eight matches, losing just one.

That defeat came against fellow Premier League dropouts Watford at the start of August, with Kompany’s side set to face another relegated team this weekend.

For Norwich, they’re a club who aren’t unfamiliar with what it takes to earn promotion out of the Championship, having been crowned champions of the division twice in the last four seasons.

Pre-season favourites to make an immediate return to the Premier League winners once more, Dean Smith’s side had struggled at the beginning of the campaign, losing two and drawing one of their opening three clashes.

It didn’t take long for the Canaries to amend their poor start, with Smith’s men having won all five of their next Championship outings.

That included a comprehensive victory over Championship strugglers Coventry City this weekend, in a fixture that saw talismanic striker Teemu Pukki return to goalscoring action.

The Finnish international will be eyeing up another goalscoring return at Turf Moor on Friday evening, as he looks set to start against a Burnley side who have kept just two clean sheets all season.

In fact, since an opening day shutout against Huddersfield Town, the Clarets have managed just one clean sheet, with a leaky defence costing Kompany’s side three points last weekend.

Denied victory by a 98th-minute Thomas-Asante Brandon strike against West Bromwich Albion on Friday night, Kompany will be hoping for a more resilient defensive display against the Canaries.

Aiming for just a third shutout of the season, history is on Burnley’s side heading into Friday night’s game, with the Clarets having kept a clean sheet in three of their last five competitive meetings with Norwich.

What’s more, their home record against Norwich will inspire the Burnley faithful, as the East Anglian side last won at Turf Moor in the league 18 years ago.

The pair were both Championship sides then, with Norwich running out emphatic 5-3 winners, before going onto be crowned champions at the end of the season, and with the Canaries’ early form, it’s an outcome you wouldn’t bet against happening again.

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