Preview:Burnley vs. Crystal Palace - prediction, team news, lineups

Seventh-placed Burnley host an out-of-sorts Crystal Palace on Saturday as they look to continue their impressive start to the season and remain in the top half of the Premier League table.

The Eagles will be hoping for a positive result to end their current run of poor form, having not won in their last five games and losing four of those.

Match Preview

Burnley have gotten back to winning ways after a mid-season blip and find themselves seventh in the league standings.

The Clarets had been on a four-game unbeaten run before a spell of three losses in a row threatened do undo all their good work.

However, Sean Dyche's side have won their last two games by 3-0 scorelines against West Ham United at home and Watford away to get back on track and surge to the cusp of a Europa League place.

In fact, Burnley's last three games have all finished 3-0, losing by that score against Sheffield United before their pair of wins.

Meanwhile, Palace are in dire form. They have lost four of their last five games and drew the other, conceding two goals in each of those fixtures and scoring just three times in that run.

It was an admittedly difficult run of games for the Eagles, however, as they faced Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in succession.

Roy Hodgson will be hoping that it is merely the strength of their opponents that has led to their recent string of disappointing results, and will be hoping to get back to form against a less formidable side.

Palace have won their last three games against Burnley, conceding just once in that run and will be hoping to continue that trend on Saturday.

Burnley form: WLLLWW Crystal Palace form: WLDLLL

Team News

Burnley boss Dyche will be without suspended midfielder Ashley Westwood after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League campaign.

There are also doubts over Johan Berg Gudmundsson, Danny Drinkwater and Matej Vydra, who will undergo late fitness tests ahead of their possible involvement against the Eagles.

Palace head coach Hodgson will definitely be without Joel Ward due to a knee problem, with no timescale yet given for the defender's return.

Fellow defender Gary Cahill will also be assessed to gauge the risk of involving him against Burnley as he recovers from a knee issue of his own.

Aside from the pair, the Eagles have a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Burnley possible starting lineup: Pope; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Lennon, Hendrick, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Barnes

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup: Guaita; Kelly, Tomkins, Dann, Van Aanholt; Townsend, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur, Zaha; Ayew

We say: Burnley 1-1 Crystal Palace

Burnley are in their stride at present but have a poor recent record against the Eagles, who have been better of late than their results show. The two sides are similar in their approach to the game and could well cancel each other out at Turf Moor.