Lancashire

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley continue their improbable fight for Premier League survival at Turf Moor on Saturday with the visit of a Bournemouth side on the league's longest unbeaten run.

Just one league win since October - away to Crystal Palace last month - has left Scott Parker's side 19th in the table and nine points from safety. They have the worst home record and worst defensive record in the league, damning indictments of any team.

They couldn't, could they?

Directly above them, West Ham United are showing signs of life, but the faltering form of teams such as Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur will have given the east Lancashire outfit a glimmer of hope.

The Clarets enter the game looking to stave off an unwanted record in front of their own fans. They're without a victory in their past 10 at Turf Moor and have never gone 11 successive home matches without winning in a season.

Last week's 2-0 defeat at Everton means Burnley have shipped two or more goals in 20 league games this term. They have conceded a league-high 58 goals, but in truth there are problems at both ends of the pitch.

Burnley have opened the scoring in just five league games this season, fewer than any other side. The lowest number of opening goals a team has scored across a full campaign in the division is seven, by Aston Villa in 2015-16 and Norwich City in 2021-22, both of whom finished bottom.

Iraola on a roll

Three successive draws have extended Bournemouth's unbeaten run to nine league games (won four, drawn five), which is the best ongoing sequence in the Premier League.

Just one league defeat in 2026 has Andoni Iraola's side sitting in a comfortable ninth position and with outside hopes of a European place.

Ninth is where they ended up last season – the joint-best finish in their history, alongside the 2016-17 campaign – and they are in with a chance of bettering their club record top-flight points tally of 56.

The teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium in December, a somewhat low-key affair for two sides whose fixtures have generally been action-packed this term. Only Manchester United's games have featured more goals than Bournemouth's or Burnley's this season.

A superb cross for Evanilson's equaliser against Sunderland earlier this month moved Marcus Tavernier to nine goal involvements for the season (five goals and four assists), meaning the midfielder is enjoying his joint-most-productive campaign for the Cherries – he also registered nine in 2022-23.

With the knowledge that Burnley have conceded more goals from crosses than any other side in the division this season (13), Tavernier will be hoping to put his wand of a left foot to good use again.

I remember going for a 2-0 Bournemouth win when these two sides met before Christmas.

Bournemouth went 1-0 up, so I thought I was on to score 40 points when I heard there had been another goal late on, but it turned out to be a Burnley equaliser.

That's the way my season has been going with predictions, but I am actually going to go for another Cherries win, and by the same scoreline too.

I've been saying for a while that Burnley have got too much to do to stay up, and it definitely isn't happening now.

I still think Scott Parker's side will be competitive, but I don't see them getting anything against his old club this time.

Bournemouth have not lost in the league since 3 January but they have drawn their past three games, so they are due a win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On a break in between games: "It's a good time to get some downtime. Reflect a little bit. It's very positive, the last week in the training ground the energy level and commitment has been there like it was last year."

• On injuries: "Marcus [Edwards] has been training this week. [Zian] Flemming has too. Both were on modified schedules at the start of the week and trained at the back end of the week. We'll have to see tomorrow if they're fully up to speed. We'll make that decision closer to Saturday."

• On Kyle Walker retiring from international football: "What he gave to England was nothing short of remarkable. He's been a major focal point for us as a nation. He decided to make that decision with our full blessing. It gives him some time during international breaks. Hopefully it can help us."

• Parker added there is so suggestion that Walker could retire from football altogether.

• On the rise of set-pieces in the game: "The game has changed. We've seen that this year - set-plays and a lot of transitions. The physicality of the Premier League has gone up tenfold. Set-plays, even from kick-off and throw-ins, you've seen a big evolution in the game. Two or three years ago you didn't really see that. Ashley Barnes is a type that has the experience of what that game looked like and is starting to look like."

• Parker spoke at length about his responsibility to the young players and their future, aside from just short-term success. "My job and duty as well as winning games is also I have a responsibility to these young men and I need to help and support them. If I have to be sacrificed for that that's fine so long as I do what I believe is right to make this team better for the long term."

• He continued: "Being short-sighted you can say this season has been a failure and it's true because we don't want to be in this situation and bigger picture, longer term is what you hold onto as core values. We had success last year. We'll be learning from this. You'll see a better team and individuals from this. Just because you're not always successful doesn't mean you can't be successful. That success will come. There's a culture here. I know we'll be OK."

• On their lack of consistency, he said: "The level of consistency in game for us is something we need to address. Why do we start slow in certain games and then at 2-0 down come back and dominate? These are constant questions we're trying to work out. That's a journey. It's a frustrating one. We keep trying to work it out."

There will be full commentary of the game this weekend on BBC Radio 5 Live, starting on Sports Extra (until the Ireland v Scotland rugby game is over).

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom conceded his side were outplayed by the "hunger and drive" of Championship leaders Coventry City on Wednesday.

The Lilywhites trailed 2-0 at the break and then found themselves 3-0 down early in the second half, after a penalty award which was hotly disputed by his team.

They have now won just one of their last 11 league games.

Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We knew it was going to be a difficult place to come because they are really at it and they didn't disappoint.

"They were really hungry from minute one, how they competed when they lost the ball. We weren't brilliant with the ball all night but I thought we were a bit loose early on with their pressure.

"With the first goal, you can say they've earned their luck but the second goal we are disappointed with.

"We lost three first contacts, really, in the box, Dan [Iversen] makes a good save, but that hunger and drive is why they are up there and scoring all the goals.

"And, listen, it's not a penalty. Their lads have said that. That sort of took the game away from us.

"I felt good about the second half, we thought we'd get that little bit of luck, and that made it a tough night.

"We felt we had one at the other end but it didn't come."