Liverpool are preparing to face Burnley on Saturday evening, but are Clarets supporters sensing a shock result at Turf Moor?
The Reds have maximum points after three Premier League games, sitting pretty at the top of the table.
Last weekend’s 3-1 win at home to Arsenal saw some majestic football played, suggesting that Liverpool are clicking into gear.
Burnley will provide a tough assignment on Saturday, however, having looked good in their opening three games.
Ahead of the game, we spoke to Matt from No Nay Never Podcast (@NoNayNever) to get his thoughts on how the weekend clash may pan out.
Burnley sit sixth in the Premier League after three games – how happy are you with their start to the season?
Very happy.
It was so important to get a good start to the season and get points on the board early on after last year’s miserable start.
To win so convincingly against Southampton, play well against Arsenal despite losing by just one goal, and then be seconds away from a win at Wolves – they are unbeaten at home in the Premier League since January – is all very positive.
If you had offered us this before the season started we would have taken it.
Who has shone most in the opening few games?
No contest: Ashley Barnes.
Four goals in the opening three games to continue where he left off last season, joint-second in the Premier League top scorers this season and third-highest for the calendar year.
He also has his own grime track, so he is definitely on fire!
Has anything changed in comparison to last season, in terms of approach?
The pre-season was a settled and focused one, with not too much travelling, game time distributed evenly and minimal injury problems.
It has meant we could start the season all guns blazing, much like we did a couple of years ago, rather than last year’s highly-disturbed start in late July in the Europa League.
Add to that the fact that the squad have another year of Premier League experience under their belts and we are in a good place all round.
How do you rate Liverpool’s start to the campaign? Are they Man City’s biggest challengers again?
Liverpool have picked up from where they left off last season and are clearly determined to not slip-up anywhere this year, as they know Man City will be waiting to pounce.
They are definitely the biggest challengers again, but I don’t think either team will amass the same number of points this season.
It will come down to who slips up the most.
Who do you fear most for the Reds on Saturday?
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have done the most damage to us over the last few meetings with their blistering pace.
They could be the difference again.
Where will the key battles take place?
Barnes’ battle with Virgil van Dijk will be an interesting one to watch.
It won’t be the only key battle, though, and I am intrigued to see if our exciting wide men Dwight McNeil and Johann Gudmundsson can get any joy against Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
Finally, hit us with your prediction…
Both games last season stayed close right until the end, when our search for equalisers led to breakaway goals for Liverpool that put the games to bed.
I would like to think we can do the same this season – it will be important for us not to concede early on and always stay within a goal if the Reds do manage to break us down.
The last visit to Turf Moor was a feisty affair, with Sean Dyche and Jurgen Klopp agreeing to disagree on certain incidents and approaches, so it will certainly be a tough game and maybe even Liverpool’s hardest test so far this season.
Regrettably, I do think the Reds may just have too much for us, securing a late 2-1 or 3-2 win.
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