Burnley square off against Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon looking to move a step closer to securing promotion from the Championship.
At a time when the leaders sit 17 points clear of third position, Norwich are seventh in the standings despite prevailing in their last two fixtures.
Match preview
© Reuters
Trips to East Anglia are an inconvenience for most clubs, but Burnley are making the trip to that part of the country for the second successive weekend.
After a six-match winning streak in all competitions, the Clarets were held to a goalless draw by Ipswich Town in the FA Cup fourth round, adding another fixture to their schedule.
Vincent Kompany's side now have no free midweeks throughout February, although the Belgian may appreciate every opportunity possible to achieve something memorable in his first season at Turf Moor.
The league remains the priority, however, and Burnley currently sit five points clear of second-placed Sheffield United and a further 12 ahead of the chasing pack in the playoffs.
While Kompany and his squad will take nothing for granted, much of the hard graft has been done, and they can theoretically play with more freedom than their hosts on Saturday.
© Reuters
David Wagner has proven to be a breath of fresh air since arriving at Carrow Road earlier in the month, immediately overseeing two away victories with four goals being scored in the process.
Remarkably, three strikes were netted in the opening half hour against each of Preston North End and Coventry City, although they did immediately let the latter back into their contest before winning by a 4-2 scoreline.
Having failed to win any of their previous four games beforehand, Norwich have only advanced into seventh, but they are just three points adrift of third.
Wagner made just one addition to his squad in January, bringing in Marquinhos on loan from Arsenal, and that is an indication that he has confidence in getting the most out of a crop of players who under-performed under the previous management.
Team News
© Reuters
Marquinhos will hope to feature on the Norwich substitutes' bench after securing his switch to the club earlier this week.
Minimal changes are expected to the starting lineup, however, with Sam McCallum most likely to be included at left-back.
If Wagner wishes to add a more defensive-minded option in midfield, Marcelino Nunez may replace Josh Sargent.
Having rotated his Burnley XI for the trip to Ipswich, Kompany should select a side which resembles the one which started versus West Bromwich Albion on January 20.
Charlie Taylor could revert to centre-back, allowing for Ian Maatsen to return at left-back, while Ashley Barnes seems likely to get the nod down the middle of the attack.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Krul; Aarons, Omobamidele, Hanley, McCallum; Sargent, McLean, Sara; Dowell, Pukki, Hernandez
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Roberts, Beyer, Taylor, Maatsen; Cullen, Bastien, Brownhill; Tella, Barnes, Zaroury
We say: Norwich City 1-1 Burnley
Despite their different trajectories throughout the campaign, this should prove to be an intriguing fixture which should not be regarded as a foregone conclusion. There is a feeling that both sides would probably accept a draw if it was offered to them beforehand, and it leads us to predict a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
