Liverpool have the chance to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack in the race for a top-four spot when they host Burnley at Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds go into the game off the back of a 3-1 victory over Champions League rivals Arsenal last time out, but face a Burnley side who have already beaten them once this season.

Liverpool

© SilverHub

Consistency has been the word of the week amongst the Liverpool players as they look to string together back-to-back victories for the first time this calendar year.

The Reds' continual failure to build on impressive results so far in 2017 has been a source of much frustration, with only their unbeaten record against their fellow top-six rivals keeping them in the Champions League race since the turn of the year.

Sunday will provide the latest test of whether Liverpool can raise their game against the so-called lesser opposition on the back of a positive result against one of the top six.

That certainly hasn't been the case on many occasions this term. Victory over Manchester City on New Year's Eve was followed by a draw with Sunderland, draws with Manchester United and Chelsea were backed up only by defeats to Swansea City and Hull City respectively, while last month a win over Tottenham Hotspur preceded defeat to Leicester City.

A similar issue occurred right at the start of this season when Liverpool began the campaign with a 4-3 victory away to Arsenal before taking on Burnley, only to fall to a 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor.

Four of Liverpool's five losses in the league this season have come against teams who started the match in the relegation zone, and while Burnley do not fit that description their recent form, particularly on the road, should make Liverpool overwhelming favourites to win this one too.

On paper, the home advantage looks as though it could be key. Since a dreadful run of three straight home defeats to Swansea, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool have taken seven points from a possible nine against Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal at Anfield.

Indeed, before that three-match losing streak Liverpool had not been beaten in their opening 12 home games of the season, so the dip in form - however costly it may have been - looks to have been an anomaly rather than a changing of the tide.

Only Tottenham and Chelsea have picked up more points in front of their own fans this season, and another win could prove to be crucial to Liverpool's chances of returning to Champions League football next term.

Last weekend's triumph over Arsenal saw Liverpool replace the Gunners in the top four, and with neither Arsene Wenger's side nor Manchester United in Premier League action this weekend, the Reds have the chance to open a five-point gap to fifth place.

As things stand, fourth place is still effectively Arsenal's to lose due to their game in hand over Liverpool, but with the pressure growing on the out-of-form Gunners every passing week, the opportunity for Liverpool to give themselves a cushion is too good to pass up this weekend.

Burnley stand in their way of that target, but Liverpool have not lost any of their last 17 Premier League home games against promoted sides, stretching back to the 2010-11 campaign, and will be confident of finally getting back on course following a dreadful start to 2017.

Recent form: LDLWLW
Recent form (all competitions): LDLWLW

Burnley

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Swansea manager Paul Clement this week claimed that as many as nine teams are in danger of being relegated from the Premier League this season - a net that is just about wide enough to catch Burnley in.

The Clarets will not be overly concerned just yet - nine points still separate them from the relegation zone as things stand and, while the likes of Leicester, Swansea and Crystal Palace have improved in recent weeks, the current bottom three of Middlesbrough, Hull and Sunderland haven't shown many signs of chasing down a gap that big.

There are plenty of teams more susceptible to the drop than Burnley, but manager Sean Dyche will still want his side to reach the magic 40-point mark as soon as possible. Three more wins would do that, but just four of their last 11 games come against teams currently below them in the table, and all of those are away from home.

The away issue is one that could prove to be important considering Burnley have the worst record on the road in the Premier League this season, amassing just two points from a possible 39 and scoring just eight goals in the process.

In all competitions Burnley have lost 12 and won none of their 15 away outings this term, although they have shown gradual improvements as the season has progressed and have not been beaten by more than one goal on the road since the start of December.

The Clarets have generally raised their game when they have travelled to face teams in the upper echelons of the league too. Manchester United were held to a goalless draw at Old Trafford, while Spurs, Man City and Arsenal all only managed to scrape 2-1 victories - the latter of which came courtesy of a 98th-minute winner.

There are some signs of encouragement for Burnley, then, but there is still no getting away from their dreadful record on their travels this season. Last weekend saw them fall to another late defeat as Fernando Llorente's 92nd-minute header saw relegation-threatened Swansea rescue a 3-2 victory at the Liberty Stadium.

Home and away, Burnley are now winless in their last five games since the end of January, although they have not lost back-to-back matches since before Christmas - a record that would end should they be beaten by Liverpool on Sunday.

The odds seem to be stacked against Burnley, but they will take confidence from the fact that they have already beaten Liverpool once this season - also off the back of defeat to Swansea, incidentally - and could do the league double over the Reds for the first time since the 1929-30 campaign.

Recent form: LWLDDL
Recent form (all competitions): WLDLDL

Team News

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Liverpool are once again expected to be without captain Jordan Henderson, who has missed the last two games with a badly bruised foot.

Jurgen Klopp also revealed that Roberto Firmino has been struggling with a knock he picked up against Arsenal, with the Brazilian due to undergo a late fitness test ahead of Sunderland's match.

Daniel Sturridge is also a major doubt for the game as he continues to struggle with a hip injury, but Dejan Lovren is fit to return having been named on the bench against Arsenal.

The Croatian defender is likely to replace Ragnar Klavan in the side, but that could be the only change made by Klopp as he sticks with the bulk of the team that shot down the Gunners.

Burnley's main concern for the match is goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who missed the loss to Swansea due to illness and was replaced in the side by former England international Paul Robinson.

Heaton is expected to be fit to return, though, while Steven Defour could also make his comeback from a thigh injury which has kept him out since the end of January.

The match will come too soon for Johann Berg Gudmundsson, though, while Joey Barton - who is the only player in Premier League history to be sent off for two different away teams at Anfield - is also a doubt due to a tight hamstring.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Wijnaldum, Can, Lallana; Mane, Firmino, Coutinho

Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Boyd, Defour, Hendrick, Brady; Vokes, Gray

Head To Head

Liverpool had won the previous four Premier League meetings between these two sides without conceding a goal before their 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at Turf Moor - a match which saw the Reds record the highest possession stats for a losing side since records began in the Premier League (80.4%).

In all competitions Liverpool have won 11 and lost just three of their last 16 meetings with the Clarets, and in only one of those matches did both teams get on the scoresheet.

Burnley have not won at Anfield since a 1-0 victory in September 1974, since when they have drawn one and lost eight of their nine visits, scoring just one goal and conceding 19 in the process.

We say: Liverpool 2-0 Burnley

It is difficult to predict whether Liverpool have truly turned a corner with the win over Arsenal or whether they will once again fail to back up a big win against a team they are expected to beat. With the home advantage and Burnley's poor record on the road, though, we are backing the Reds to strengthen their hold on fourth place.

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