Hello all! We're in the second week of December and the Premier League fixtures will soon come along come thick and fast. We've got seven games being played in the top flight today, but here, we're focusing on the meeting between Burnley and Southampton.

Both sides will be desperate for a win this afternoon after succumbing to defeat in their previous league matches. Burnley's four-game unbeaten run ended when they were beaten 2-0 by QPR at Loftus Road. For the Saints, Koeman's side have suffered three defeats on the bounce against Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United. Before we delve into the game itself, let's have a look at the teams...

BURNLEY XI: Heaton; Mee, Shackell, Keane, Trippier; Boyd, Jones, Marney, Arfield; Barnes, Ings

Substitutes: Gilks, Long, Lafferty, Kightly, Jutkiewicz, Wallace, Chalobah

Manager Sean Dyche has named the same starting XI who suffered defeat to QPR last weekend, but with Danny Ings, who netted three times in November, up front, the Clarets will be hoping for a better result on home ground this afternoon. Now for the visitors...

SOUTHAMPTON XI: Forster; Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand; Wanyama, S. Davis; Hesketh, Tadic, Mane; Pelle

Substitutes: K. Davis, Yoshida, Gardos, Long, Ward-Prowse, Mayuka, Reed

Koeman has made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Southampton. The good news is that Toby Alderweireld has returned to the back four and he takes the place of Maya Yoshida, while James Ward-Prowse has been named on the bench. There's even better news for 18-year-old Jake Hesketh, who receives his first senior start under Koeman. Shane Long is the player to miss out.

Burnley fans, if you'd like a fancier way of getting the team news, here's a graphic from the club's official Twitter page...

Here's the Clarets starting XI for this afternoon. What are your thoughts? #ClaretsLIVE https://t.co/lIj6EcYS7g — Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) December 13, 2014

Southampton are still without midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Jack Cork, but the club will be wanting them back quickly because the Saints' form at the moment hasn't been the best. As I'm sure you're aware, Koeman's side stormed up the Premier League table in the early stages of the campaign, but since meeting heavy-hitters Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, the club have dropped to fifth and are in danger of dwindling down the league if they fail to pick up points over the hectic Christmas schedule.

No disrespect, but Burnley will arguably be seen as easier opposition for Southampton this afternoon as the Clarets languish in the bottom three and are expected to be fighting against relegation towards the end of the season. A win would do wonders for Koeman and his men as they are due to face Everton, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal over the Christmas period.

It's a similar story for Burnley, albeit at the other end of the table, as Dyche's side are scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United over Christmas. So, a victory today is vital for the club as you would expect them to struggle against the opponents they have coming up.

Goals have been lacking for Burnley this season as they have only found the back of the net 10 times in 15 games. It hasn't helped that striker Sam Vokes has been on the sidelines for a lengthy spell with a knee injury, but the Wales international is edging closer to fitness having competed in an Under-21 game in midweek. While this afternoon's action has come too soon for Vokes, Burnley have got Danny Ings to call on and the 22-year-old is coming into form having netted twice against Stoke City and converting a penalty against Aston Villa.

Not too long ago, it was hard to see Southampton losing a game, but after failing to win their last four, from Burnley's point of view, this is probably the best time to play them. The Saints have also struggled to cope with injuries in recent weeks, which has prompted Koeman to suggest that he will enter the transfer market in January.

Prior to the 3pm kickoff, Koeman has been speaking about today's match, and via the club's Twitter page, the Dutchman said: "We had one week of three defeats and we'd like to have the feeling to win the next one, we do everything. We must play to our qualities, play football out of good ball possession. How Burnley play is difficult to play against. I'm happy to see Ward-Prowse on the bench and hopefully Schneiderlin will be back for next Tuesday."

Saints captain Jose Fonte, who gifted Robin van Persie an opening goal on Monday night with a poor back-pass against United, has also said: "We know we are in for a very difficult game. Burnley have been doing well lately so we expect a tough game but we came here to get a result. We've been talking lately about our run, we need to get the momentum back and hopefully a long run of wins again."

We have about 20 minutes to go before kickoff and both sets of players have been warming up at Turf Moor...

This is the first Premier League meeting between the sides, but the stats work in Southampton's favour as they have lost just one of their last six away games against Burnley, but the last five league meetings between the pair have ended in draws, so if you're a sucker for tradition, the history books suggest that we could be in for a point apiece this afternoon.

PREDICTION: So, how do you see this one turning out? The stats show us that there hasn't been much to separate the two clubs in recent history, but a victory today is crucial for both sides after last week's defeats. Burnley could potentially move out of the relegation spots with all three points, while a win for Southampton will keep them in contention of a European place. Despite Burnley's defeat to QPR last weekend, they have been in positive form and I can see them scoring this afternoon. However, Southampton were the better side in their recent defeat to United and while Burnley have the home advantage, I wouldn't be surprised to see Southampton edge it 2-1.

Those are my thoughts, but our Sports Mole Sofa panelists Matt Law and Pascal Lemesre have also had their say in the video below:

The teams are in the tunnel and are ready to emerge onto the pitch. Kickoff is less than five minutes away!

KICKOFF! Southampton get us underway, kicking left to right.

Burnley get an early chance to test Forster when a ball drifts into the box from Boyd on the right-hand side to find Ings, who gets a head to it, but the goalkeeper is able to gather.

CHANCE! Ings and Barnes link up after getting some fortune when Southampton give the ball away in the middle of the park. Ings goes for goal outside of the area, but his strike just falls wide of the post.

Southampton struggle to play it out from the back and with a number of Burnley shirts closing them down, Wanyama's pass goes out of touch. The home side have started with intensity and Ings definitely looks up for this one. Early days yet, of course

Referee Mark Clattenburg gets booed by the home crowd after deciding not to penalise Mane for blocking Marney. Replays showed, though, that there wasn't too much in it.

Mane gets some space and knocks down the ball to youngster Hesketh, who goes for am ambitious shot, but he fails to wrap his foot around it and the ball flies into the stands.

At the other end, Trippier launches the ball into the box to find Barnes, who lays the ball off to Boyd, but the Burnley man gets closed down by the Southampton defence and struggles to find a way through.

Some great awareness from Pelle there as his first touch on the swivel drives the ball out wide to find Tadic, but the move eventually gets broken up.

Trippier finds space out wide and he wraps his right foot around the ball to deliver a whipping cross into the box, but it's too high for any of his teammates to latch onto.

BOOKING! It's not the greatest start for 18-year-old Hesketh as he gets cautioned for a clash with Heaton. The keeper comes off his line and drops to the floor to gather the ball, but Hesketh also dives in with an ill-timed attempt to win the ball.

Burnley are slightly on top at the moment, but they are yet to unleash a serious attempt on goal. For Southampton, they are struggling to find their feet and a number of attacking plays have broken down due to sloppy passing.

Southampton get a free kick in an area where they could have launched the ball into the box, but they opted to play it short and the move gets snuffed out. Seconds later, Trippier gets a crucial header to prevent Mane from getting on the end of a cross.

Southampton work a short corner well as the ball drifts into the path of Bertrand, who goes for goal, but his shot flies high over the crossbar and into the stands.

CHANCE! Just as the game went into a bit of a lull, we get some chaos on Forster's goalline. Trippier delivers a great ball into the area, it bounces off Clyne and Forster gets down to gather, but he fails to keep hold of it and after a hectic scramble, the referee blows for an infringement.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Hesketh is receiving treatment after going down following a crunching tackle by Keane. He's hobbling around but is determined to play on. The teenager has definitely been involved in these early stages!

Southampton put Burnley under pressure in their own half with some swift passing movement around the area. The ball is delivered to Wanyama, who has great control and tries to unleash a shot, but Marney blocks the effort and clears the danger.

SUBSTITUTION: Very disappointing for Hesketh as he is forced to make an early exit after failing to recover from that knock. Ward-Prowse takes his place on the pitch.

Unfortunately, the game has struggled to find a pattern. Neither team are on top at the moment and the play has broken up numerous times with sloppy free kicks being given away.

Arfield wriggles away from his marker and drives towards the centre of the box, but instead of playing it out wide he goes for goal and gets brought down in the process to win a free kick.

Trippier takes the free kick and aims to loop the ball into the back of the net, but his effort goes straight into the wall and the opportunity goes missing.

Burnley block Southampton on the counter and then they launch an attack themselves at the other end with Ings charging towards goal, but as he goes wide to find space, the move breaks down.

At the other end, Tadic and Bertrand display a lovely one-two on the left-hand side and the ball eventually gets fed across goal, but Shackell manages to clear.

BOOKING! As Shackell cleared the ball, Mane dived in to try to latch onto the ball, but received a caution for his efforts.

Ward-Prowse tries to open the scoring for the visitors by taking a low shot at goal, but Heaton is able to drop down to his left and gather the ball in his hands.

Mane's living dangerously here. The forward catches Trippier on the top of the foot, but Clattenburg opts to give him a talking-to as opposed to another booking which would result in the Southampton man getting sent off.

Mane is involved again, but he's on the receiving end of a Boyd tackle and wins a free kick for his side. The home crowd chant, "cheat, cheat!" before Ward-Prowse lines up to take the kick. He swoops it into the area, but Heaton is first to the ball.

We've got two minutes of added time, but it looks as though the half is going to end goalless as both sides will want to assess their options at the break.

We're still searching for a goal in this game and to be perfectly honest, it hasn't been the most exciting of contests. Burnley started the stronger side, but Southampton eventually found their feet in a rather scrappy affair.

Both sides have had half-chances, but as it stands, a goalless draw seems to be a fair assessment. The most disappointing aspect for the visitors is the withdrawal of young Jake Hesketh, who was forced off the pitch with an injury after he was clattered into by Michael Keane. The 18-year-old looked distraught on the bench and it's understandable as he was making his full debut.

Despite the lack of goals, Burnley boss Sean Dyche is likely to be the happier of the two managers as his side have had better spells in attack. At the moment, you wonder where the goals are going to come from for Southampton.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, the half-time results are as follows:

Chelsea 1-0 Hull City
Crystal Palace 1-1 Stoke City
Leicester City 0-1 Manchester City
Sunderland 1-1 West Ham United
West Brom 0-0 Aston Villa

So, not long now until the second half begins at Turf Moor. Can either Burnley or Southampton snatch maximum points or are we destined for a draw?

RESTART! Burnley get the second half underway as sleet descends onto Turf Moor.

Mane pleads for a free kick following a coming-together with Keane on the left-hand side of the area, but Clattenburg waves it away. Mane's actions prompt some more, "cheat, cheat!" chants from the home side.

Boyd finds himself in space and attempted to wriggle his way into the box, but Bertrand covers well to clear the danger.

Some strong play from Trippier to release Boyd, who delivers a high cross into the box to find Arfield, whose header down bounces off Clyne and out for a corner, which comes to nothing.

Burnley have had most of the attacking play in the early stages of the second half. Southampton knock the ball back and forth in their own half, but they struggle to find an opening in midfield, which results in the home side winning back possession.

Pelle picks the ball up and instantly lofts the ball over to the far post looking for Mane, but he slightly overhits it and it bounces behind his teammate and out of play.

The ball comes out to Bertrand in his own half but he fails to control it at it bobbles out for a Burnley throw-in. That basically sums up Southampton's afternoon.

Tadic tries to make something happen by whipping in a cross looking for Mane, but Trippier is there once again to head out the danger and prevent Mane from getting a touch.

CHANCE! Some lovely play from Pelle as he drives into the box. The ball eventually falls back to Mane and he tries a right-footed shot from the edge of the area, but it's a poor effort as it glides over the bar.

PENALTY! Southampton are awarded a penalty after Boyd catches Bertrand with an outstretched leg. No complaints from the Burnley man.

SAVE! Tadic fails to give Southampton the lead as his penalty towards the bottom right corner is pushed away by Heaton to the delight of the home fans. Great save!

So how do Southampton react now? They were inches close to edging ahead in this game, but the chance goes missing.

CHANCE! Tadic plays in a lovely reverse pass into Pelle's path just inches from goal, but the forward is leaning back and his effort smashes into the side-netting.

Southampton look more positive in attack now and in the last few minutes, Burnley are back in their own half trying to keep the visitors at bay.

SAVE! At the other end, Ings takes a brilliant touch before swiftly turning to take a low shot at goal, which Forster reacts to well by diving down to push the ball away with his left hand. Boyd is there for the follow-up, but the linesman rightly flags for offside.

Southampton get close following a frantic few minutes in the box. Pelle's touch isn't the best and the ball flicks towards Bertrand, but Burnley's defence are able to hit it out for a corner, which comes to nothing for the visitors.

The Saints have looked more threatening, but their passing hasn't been the greatest today and they have given the ball away countless times. We could be in for an exciting finish here though as the game could go either way.

The home side take the lead following some sloppy play from Clyne. Ings puts pressure on the England player and eventually gets rewarded as he knocks the ball forward to Ashley Barnes. From then on, Barnes storms towards goal and fires it in from the left-hand side with the help of a deflection from Alderweireld.

SUBSTITUTION: Burnley make their first change of the game as Lafferty comes on to replace Mee.

At the other end, Southampton immediately try to respond via a free kick, but the attempt falls straight into the arms of Heaton. They need to take advantage of their chances now if they want to get anything out of this game.

SUBSTITUTION: Koeman makes a change as Long enters the field of play and Mane comes off.

Southampton get a free kick in a dangerous area after Ward-Prowse is brought down by Lafferty. The Englishman curls it around the wall, but his effort goes wide. The Saints have around 10 minutes to find the equaliser.

BOOKINGS! Oh dear, what a silly move from Pelle. The Southampton man shows his frustration after the referee urges Boyd to move off the field if he's injured. Pelle helps his opponent along by pushing him and both players go into the book.

Alderweireld does well under pressure from Ings, but Burnley regain possession as Arfield storms towards goal, but the move eventually breaks up. Southampton are running out of time here.

CHANCE! So close for Clyne! The ball gets knocked back to Clyne on the edge of the area and he aims his shot towards the left-hand corner of the net, but it just grazes the post and out of play. Was that their last chance?

Burnley are working hard to maintain their lead and Ings tries to double it as he wriggles away from his marker, but there's nobody in the box for him to pass to and the move gets snuffed out.

As we enter four additional minutes, Long receives a nice knock-down from Pelle in the box, but he's leaning back too far and fails to grasp full control of the ball when he takes a shot. His effort bounces behind for a goal kick.

CHANCE! What a perfect opportunity for Southampton as the ball soars into the box and finds the head of Wanyama, but his effort goes over the crossbar. He really should have scored.

So, there we have it, Burnley have bounced back from last weekend's defeat to QPR by snatching all three points and moving out of the relegation zone as a result. Ashley Barnes is the hero for the hosts at Turf Moor, while Southampton look like a shadow of the side who roared to the top spots in the Premier League table at the start of the season. That's all from us, so until next time, goodbye!