Burnley vs Liverpool preview, team news and predicted lineup

Premier League leaders and reigning champions Liverpool travel to newly-promoted Burnley in the opening fixture of Sunday’s top-flight action. Arne Slot’s side are the only team left with a perfect record in the Premier League this season, while Burnley have adapted to life in the top division better than many had expected.

August proved to be a successful month for the title holders, with Liverpool winning all three of their opening matches, including an important victory over fellow contenders Arsenal. Now, the Reds are aiming to win their first four games of a Premier League season for just the third time, having previously achieved the feat in 2018-19 (finishing second with 97 points) and in their title-winning 2019-20 campaign.

If Liverpool can secure another victory, it would also mark the third consecutive season in which the reigning champions have started with four straight wins—a feat accomplished by Manchester City in each of the last two years—and would be the first time this has happened in the history of the English top flight.

Burnley, meanwhile, have struggled historically against reigning champions, losing 10 of their last 11 such encounters and conceding 30 goals in the process. However, their one exception in that run came against Liverpool, when Sean Dyche’s side famously won at Anfield in 2021.

It’s still difficult to assess Burnley’s true level after three matches, as they faced tough away trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United—both resulting in hard-fought defeats—but did manage a victory over fellow promoted side Sunderland in their only home game so far.

Everyone will be discussing the much-awaited debut in a Liverpool shirt for Alexander Isak. However, given that he has only played 18 competitive minutes this season—coming off the bench for Sweden against Kosovo on Monday—he is expected to start among the substitutes. The impressive form of Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo also makes it difficult for Arne Slot to drop either player, especially with Gakpo continuing his strong run by scoring for the Netherlands in Lithuania last week.

On the injury front, Ibrahima Konate is available after featuring for France during the international break, but Jeremie Frimpong remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Curtis Jones is also unavailable.

For Burnley, Jordan Beyer and Connor Roberts are nearing returns from knee injuries, but this fixture is likely to come too soon for both. Zeki Amdouni is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, while Hjalmar Ekdal should be fit after picking up a minor knock while on international duty with Sweden. Burnley’s only late addition in the transfer window, Florentino Luis, could be in line to make his debut after joining on loan from Benfica.

Burnley: Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen, Florentino; Bruun Larsen, Foster, Anthony

Liverpool: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

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