Preview: Burnley vs Bristol City - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking for their first Championship win since May 2025, Burnley welcome Bristol City to Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon with both sides targeting three points for very different reasons.

The Robins travel north looking to make it four matches unbeaten after beating Preston North End 3-1 on Tuesday, while the Clarets failed to win for the fourth league game under Nicky Hayen after drawing 1-1 with fellow playoff hopefuls Middlesbrough.

Following their relegation from the Premier League at the back end of the 2025-26 campaign, Burnley turned to Belgian coach Hayen with the task of guiding the Lancashire side back to England's top flight at the first time of asking.

However, Burnley have endured a difficult beginning to life under the former Club Brugge and Genk manager, entering their fifth Championship fixture still without a victory after collecting just two points from their opening four matches.

The Clarets fell behind after 23 minutes against Middlesbrough on Tuesday but responded after the break, with Ugo Raghouber producing a stunning equaliser early in the second half to earn his side a point against a team expected to challenge for promotion.

While another draw will have done little to ease the pressure on Hayen, the result did at least provide encouragement after consecutive defeats, particularly against a Middlesbrough side who came close to returning to the Premier League last season.

Despite that, Burnley's inability to win in the league remains a major concern, with their only victory this season coming in the League Cup against Notts County, where they progressed on penalties.

The Clarets' most recent home league victory also came all the way back in October 2025, while their run of just one league win in their last 33 matches is the worst record of any side currently competing in the top four divisions of English football.

As for the visiting Robins, they have gone unbeaten across their last three matches, responding to a disappointing start with consecutive victories over Portsmouth and Preston North End.

Michael Skubala's side began the campaign with a League Cup defeat to Walsall before losing at home to Millwall on the opening day of their Championship season.

However, they have since turned their fortunes around, drawing away to Bristol City before recording victories over Portsmouth and Preston to climb into fifth place in the table.

Their latest success came at Deepdale on Tuesday, where Scott Twine gave the visitors an early lead before Caleb Wiley equalised, only for Lisav Eissat and Dominic Ballard to strike late and secure a 3-1 victory that left Preston bottom of the Championship.

Skubala's side will therefore travel to Turf Moor looking to extend their unbeaten run to four matches and maintain their place in the playoff positions, although their record in this fixture offers little encouragement.

Burnley have won each of their last eight league meetings with Bristol City, while the Robins have not tasted victory at Turf Moor for nearly 20 years.

Burnley Championship form:

Burnley form (all competitions):

Bristol City Championship form:

Bristol City form (all competitions):

Team News

Burnley's search for a new man to lead the line continues following Zian Flemming's deadline-day move to Ipswich Town, with Zeki Amdouni the likely candidate to start in attack.

Hayen's side came away from Tuesday's meeting without any additional injury concerns, although they remain without several key players.

Jordan Beyer and Reo Hatate are still unavailable, while Irish midfielder Josh Cullen continues to recover from the cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out since December 2025.

However, Cullen has returned to training in recent days, but Saturday's fixture is likely to come too soon for his competitive return.

As for Bristol City, the Robins completed the late signing of midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker on Deadline Day, and the Belgian could be included in the squad for the first time at Turf Moor.

Skubala also has a decision to make in attack, with new arrivals Lorent Tolaj and Ballard providing competition for the starting role, although the latter could be rewarded with a start after scoring his first Robins goal against Preston.

As far as injuries are concerned, Skubala will only be without long-term absentee Luke McNally.

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Weiss; Walker, Ahemedhodzic, Ekdal, Roberts; Mejbri, Raghouber, B. Larsen; Hountondji, Amdouni, Satpaev

Bristol City possible starting lineup:

Tickle; Eile, Dickie, Eissat, Cardines; Knight, Randell; Hirakawa, Twine, Ballard; Tolaj

We say: Burnley 1-1 Bristol City

Meeting for the first time since March 2025, these two sides arrive at Turf Moor in contrasting form, as Burnley desperately search for their first Championship victory while Bristol City look to extend their unbeaten run.

The Clarets showed against Middlesbrough that they can be difficult to break down at home, but Bristol City's recent improvement should give the visitors confidence that they can avoid defeat once again.

We expect another closely fought contest and are backing the two sides to share the points, leaving Burnley still waiting for their first league win of the season.

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