Summer signing Matej Vydra unlikely to make Clarets debut
Sunday 19 August 2018 13:59, UK
Sean Dyche is confident Burnley will avoid a Europa League hangover when they face Watford on Sunday.
The Clarets started their season on July 26 and needed extra-time to beat Istanbul Basaksehir 1-0 in their third-qualifying-round clash on Thursday.
While they managed to pick up a point in a goalless draw at Southampton last weekend, the Clarets are winless in their last six Premier League games.
However, Burnley boss Dyche does not expect his side to struggle with the quick turnaround from the Europa League when they face Watford.
"The fitness here is unbelievable. The players' mental and physical fitness is absolutely fantastic, so they will be ready for Sunday," Dyche said.
"Statistically, it has been very high since I have been here, [even more so] once I got my own group in the first summer. And if you then add in a bit more know-how, a bit more individual awareness and team awareness of what it means to be in the Premier League, then that bodes well."
Watford, meanwhile, were 2-0 winners against Brighton on the opening day.
However, they have failed to score in any of their seven away Premier League games under Javi Gracia and are winless in their last 12 Premier League away games.
Dyche is expected to make several changes after his side's Europa League exertions but Robbie Brady, Steven Defour, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton remain on the injured list.
Matej Vydra is also unlikely to be involved. The £11m signing is short of match fitness after a disrupted pre-season
at Derby and is not yet considered ready for first-team action.
Watford are still without injured quartet Gerard Deulofeu, Nathaniel Chalobah, Tom Cleverley and Stefano Okaka.
Watford had a great result last weekend and Burnley did well, too. It depends what happens on Thursday with Burnley but they're always a difficult side to beat.
I think being in Europe will affect Burnley, they've not got the biggest squad in the world to be travelling and then playing on a Sunday. If you fight to get into Europe then you want to go through, even if some clubs will think they don't need it. It will affect them as the season goes on, no doubt about that, but I think they'll win this one.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 (9/2 with Sky Bet)
Burnley come into the match as Sky Bet's 13/10 favourites for the win as they host Watford, who are priced at 12/5 to make it two wins from two, with the draw a 2/1 chance. Chris Wood leads the pack in the first goalscorer market as he is priced at 3/1 to break the deadlock, with Andre Gray and Troy Deeney considered as the visitors' main threats 4/1 to open the scoring.
