Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley continue their preparations for the new season with a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on Saturday.
Bruno Lage's side have already beaten Forest Green Rovers 4-1 this summer, while the Clarets managed to scrape past Rochdale 1-0.
Match preview
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The signs were promising for a considerable amount of time, and there was even talk of a Champions League charge for Wolves in the 2021-22 season, but Lage's side could hardly have ended the campaign in a more disappointing way.
The Molineux side failed to win any of their last seven games in the top flight, and a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on the final day condemned them to a 10th-placed finish, but there has been little in the way of a rebuild so far.
Hwang Hee-chan's move from RB Leipzig has been made permanent, but Wolves have otherwise been quiet in the transfer market so far, and Lage has plenty of players to assess in a taxing pre-season period of exhibition matches.
Adama Traore, Bruno Jordao, Pedro Neto and Chem Campbell were all on target for Wolves in a 4-1 win over Forest Green behind closed doors last weekend, and Lage's side will also meet Alaves, Levante, Besiktas, Sporting Lisbon and Farense during their upcoming Iberian tour.
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A penny for Sean Dyche's thoughts as Burnley's six-year stay in the Premier League came to an end two months ago, with a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on the final day sealing their fate alongside Watford and Norwich City.
The Clarets had briefly threatened a miraculous escape with Mike Jackson and Ben Mee barking orders from the touchline, but it was too little too late for the Lancashire club, who have unsurprisingly seen an exodus of revered names in the past few weeks.
One of the legendary Premier League defenders of his generation, Vincent Kompany, has now been tasked with igniting a promotion push after taking the reins at Turf Moor, and Burnley kicked off their pre-season period with a 1-0 win over Rochdale last Friday, with Scott Twine hitting the only goal of the contest.
The Championship side were due to take on Burton Albion this weekend before the game was postponed due to reasons beyond the club's control, and Kompany's side only have one more scheduled pre-season friendly after the Wolves encounter, with Shrewsbury Town lying in wait on July 15.
Given the two sides' league placements over the last few years, it may come as a surprise to learn that Wolves have failed to beat Burnley in a competitive match since September 2018, with the Clarets winning four and drawing three Premier League games against the West Midlands club since and keeping clean sheets in each of their last three.
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Team News
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Wolves have not entered the pre-season period without some of their injury woes from last season, as Max Kilman and Nelson Semedo continue to be restricted to gym work with their ankle and foot problems.
Goalkeeper Jose Sa is also on the way back from an MCL issue, so Matija Sarkic could be handed a chance in between the sticks here, while Conor Coady remains on a break following the international period.
Youngsters such as Chiquinho, Morgan Gibbs-White and Fabio Silva will all have a point to prove to Lage this summer, and the club have also tied Joao Moutinho down to a new contract until 2023.
As for Burnley, CJ Egan-Riley, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Samuel Bastien have all arrived at the club since the win over Rochdale, but Wout Weghorst has completed a loan move to Besiktas.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson returned from his calf injury to play 45 minutes against Rochdale, but Ashley Westwood and Jay Rodriguez remain in the treatment room.
While Kompany can be expected to make a multitude of changes at half time, senior players such as Ashley Barnes and Jack Cork can expect to feature from the first whistle.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Boly, Mosquera, Toti; Jonny, Neves, Gibbs-White, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Silva, Chiquinho
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Norris; Lowton, Egan-Riley, Long, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Cork, Brownhill, McNeil; Twine; Barnes
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Burnley
It is always difficult to know what to expect in pre-season friendlies, but one can anticipate Wolves carving their way through a new-look Burnley defence that has lost key components in Mee, James Tarkowski and Nick Pope.
Lage's side were shut out on both occasions versus Burnley in the Premier League last term, but we can only envisage a reversal of fortunes this time around as Wolves ease to a comfortable win on their training ground.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
