Preview: Burnley vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur will both aim to push their Premier League struggles to one side when they face off in the last-16 of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.

The Clarets have overcome Newcastle United and Rochdale to get this far, while Nuno Espirito Santo's side knocked out Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties.

Match preview

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Still winless in the Premier League since the 2021-22 season kicked off, Burnley have welcomed the attacking spark provided by big-money signing Maxwel Cornet, but Sean Dyche's side were once again undone at the back during a 2-2 draw with Southampton.

Cornet's second strike - a peach of a half-volley taken first time - certainly caught the eye at St Mary's after his opening header, but Valentino Livramento and Armando Broja struck either side of the half-time whistle for the hosts to extend Burnley's barren run without three points.

The Clarets' 4-1 thrashing of Rochdale in the last round of the EFL Cup - during which Jay Rodriguez struck a quartet of goals - represents the only encounter that Burnley have won over the course of 90 minutes this term, as Dyche's side had to rely on penalties to get over the line against Newcastle in round two.

Victory over Rochdale represents Burnley's only win from their last 16 attempts across all competitions at Turf Moor, and while a cup run may represent a small slice of success, Dyche will have bigger fish to fry in the Premier League should his team fail to convert draws into wins.

Not since the 2013-14 season have Burnley advanced past the fourth round of the EFL Cup - where West Ham United sent them packing in the last-16 - but their hopes of a memorable scalp over Tottenham are not unfounded given their opponents' miserable fortunes.

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Defeat to Vitesse in the Europa Conference League was expected to pale into insignificance against West Ham for Tottenham, with Santo electing to give his first-choice XI a complete break before the trip across the capital.

However, such a move did not pay off for the Lilywhites as they slumped to another dampening defeat in a London derby - their fourth such defeat of the season - as Michail Antonio met Aaron Cresswell's corner to guide the ball home for the winner in the 72nd minute of the contest.

Santo's reunion with Wolves in the EFL Cup was also a frustrating affair as his side threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 after 90 minutes, but his side held their nerve from the spot to advance to the last-16 for just the third time in seven seasons.

With three defeats posted from their last four away games in all competitions, questions continue to be raised over the appointment of Santo to the hotseat, and it is now seven games without a clean sheet away from home for the under-performing North London club.

However, Spurs' record against Burnley serves as cause for encouragement, as they have won three of their last four encounters with the Clarets - scoring 11 goals and conceding just once in that time - while they also overcame their hosts 6-4 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the 2008-09 EFL Cup before losing to Manchester United in the final.

Team News

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Burnley centre-back Ben Mee missed out against Southampton as he continues to recover from coronavirus, but Charlie Taylor and Matej Vydra were both fit enough to play a part at the weekend.

It remains to be seen if Mee will be risked in midweek, while midfielder Dale Stephens represents the hosts' only injury concern as he battles back from a foot problem.

Vydra and Rodriguez will both eye returns to the first XI for the EFL Cup, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Aaron Lennon - set to face his former club - are options for rotation out wide.

Tottenham duo Ryan Sessegnon and Matt Doherty would have both been in contention to start this match, but the duo are set to remain sidelined with a hamstring injury and a knock respectively.

Santo did not report any fresh injury concerns from the win over West Ham but will take this opportunity to freshen things up, with Bryan Gil and Dele Alli both hoping to return to the first XI here.

Son Heung-min has struck four goals and set up two more in his last six EFL Cup starts, but the South Korean superstar will likely be kept in reserve for this clash as Harry Kane continues to lead the line.

Burnley possible starting lineup:
Hennessey; Lowton, Long, Tarkowski, Pieters; Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Cork, Cornet; Vydra, Rodriguez

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Tanganga, Romero, Sanchez, Davies; Hojbjerg, Skipp, Alli; Gil, Kane, Bergwijn

We say: Burnley 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Neither Burnley nor Spurs have displayed any sort of a winning mentality on a consistent basis this season, and the Turf Moor faithful have every right to believe that an upset could be on the cards.

However, Santo ought to view this contest as the ideal opportunity to claim a confidence-boosting win - and keep any fleeting hopes of ending the trophy drought going - so we think Tottenham will do enough to pull through and prolong Burnley's misery on home soil.

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