Tom Carnduff previews Burnley's first game of the post-Sean Dyche era as they travel to West Ham in the Premier League.
It was a huge shock when the news broke on Friday morning that Burnley had sacked their manager Sean Dyche. With just eight games of their season remaining, the timing seemed odd.
The Clarets have already confirmed that under-23s coach Mike Jackson, academy director Paul Jenkins, under-23s goalkeeping coach Connor King and club captain Ben Mee will make up the coaching staff for Sunday's trip to the London Stadium.
So that's one less game for any new manager to work with - if an appointment is made quickly. It's far from ideal preparation for this game and should play massively into the hands of a West Ham side who qualified for the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.
Kick-off time: 14:15 BST, Sunday
Burnley have constantly punched above their weight during the Dyche era considering the budget he was given to work with in the Premier League.
It's remarkable they've actually survived this long and the move to get rid - at this stage - does have a feel of 'be careful what you wish for'. Even more so when we consider that it doesn't look like a replacement has been lined up.
They have struggled this season though with just four wins from a possible 30. Only one of those has come away from home - they've averaged -0.92 xGD per league contest on the road.
Meanwhile, only Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham have a better home record in the Premier League than David Moyes' West Ham. Nine of their 16 games have ended in victory.
It's a good home team against a bad away one. Throw in the chaos of the Dyche sacking just days before the game and the 2/1 general price on WEST HAM (-1 HANDICAP) TO WIN provides big appeal.
We don't know when the players were made aware of Dyche's departure but it will likely have a huge impact on their performance levels. The fact that the coaching staff includes the current captain shows their level of preparation for this fixture.
While West Ham will have one eye on Europa League glory, they are still in the hunt for the top four, as unlikely as it is.
At the prices, it's worth siding with the hosts to win with a comfortable enough margin between the two teams.
West Ham v Burnley best bets and score prediction
- 1pt West Ham (-1 handicap) to beat Burnley at 2/1 (General)
Score prediction: West Ham 2-0 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Odds correct at 1540 BST (15/04/22)
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