Promotion hopefuls Burnley welcome local rivals Bolton Wanderers to Turf Moor on Saturday as Sean Dyche and his men aim to put together a run of results to keep them in the playoff positions.
Travelling Bolton, meanwhile, have made some improvements after a troubling start, but they come into the clash having fallen to a late defeat at Queens Park Rangers last time out.
Burnley
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Dyche's charges have kept themselves in early playoff contention despite a slightly stuttering start to the initial stages of the Championship season.
Burnley proved winless from their first three encounters this term, but they have now picked up five victories in their last eight contests.
At one point, the Clarets had won four in a row before succumbing to a draw against Derby County and a frustrating home defeat to Reading at the end of September.
Credit must to go Dyche and his men, however, as they bounced straight back from those disappointments to pick up a 2-1 away victory over Rotherham United last time out.
The club's upturn in fortunes over the past two months has seen them establish sixth spot in the table on 18 points, which puts them level with every side going up to third position in the league. Burnley's current tally also sees them just four points shy of leaders Brighton & Hove Albion at the summit.
Victory over Bolton at the weekend could provide Burnley with the perfect chance to put together another promising winning run, given that they face Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town in the coming weeks - with those three sides all sitting below them in the standings.
Recent form: WWWDLW
Bolton Wanderers
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Things could not be more different down at the foot of the table, where Bolton currently occupy 22nd position after 10 games.
Neil Lennon's side have won just once in the Championship all season, having drawn five and lost their other four matches. However, they have shown slight improvements following a poor start and have lost just twice in their last seven.
What might have frustrated Lennon the most is his team's inability to build from a standout 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, seeing that Bolton have gone on to lose two and draw two following the win at the Reebok.
Another concern for Saturday's visitors is the number of goals that Bolton have shipped in the last few weeks. As it stands, the Wanderers' defence has conceded 10 goals in the club's last three Championship fixtures. What adds to the pressure of those goals too is the fact that Bolton have only managed to bag nine for themselves all season.
Bolton fans would have recognised glimmers of brilliance when they battled back to draw with Brighton a few weeks ago, but they will certainly be frustrated after going a goal up on the way to losing 4-3 away at Queens Park Rangers just before the international break.
Nothing is ever too clear in the Championship and Lennon will know that his side could still have an outside chance of pushing for a playoff spot, although he will also be aware that they will need to shape up in defence if they want to put together the kind of run that might propel them into the top half of the table.
Recent form: DWDLDL
Team News
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Burnley will be pleased with the spoils of their last Championship victory over Rotherham, and Dyche could hand Joey Barton a second consecutive start for the club.
Andre Gray began that contest and he will be hopeful of keeping his place in attack alongside Sam Vokes.
As for Bolton, Lennon would have liked what he saw going forward against QPR and should keep the same 4-5-1 formation that lost out at Loftus Road, meaning that Gary Madine is likely to start up top.
Liam Feeney was impressive in that game and should help to bolster the midfield alongside skipper Darren Pratley, while Wellington Silva will be doing all that he can to push for a start following his goal against the R's.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Darikwa, Duff, Keane, Mee; Boyd, Jones, Barton, Arfield; Vokes, Gray
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Amos; Pisano, Dervite, Prince, Moxey; Davies, Danns, Pratley, Feeney, Clayton; Madine
Head To Head
The clubs' history has been closely fought in recent times, with Burnley just about pipping their opponents across their last six encounters. The Clarets have won three of their previous six meetings, while there have also been two Bolton wins and a draw.
The sides last met during the 2013-14 season, when they played out a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor, before Burnley were able to claim a 1-0 away win in the return fixture.
We say: Burnley 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton have only lost two of their last seven and are showing signs of improvement, but they are coming up against a Burnley side that is eager to produce another winning run to challenge for promotion this season. Dyche should be able to start Gray for a second game running and that could prove vital if he is able to find his feet early in attack. What remains the biggest problem for Bolton is the number of goals conceded in their past three games, and Burnley will be confident of exploiting their backline as they aim to snatch local bragging rights come Saturday evening.
Christopher Dodd
