Burnley are in a serious fight to avoid demotion to the English Championship at the end of this season ahead of their final two games of the season starting with the trip to face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Thursday night.
Interim manager Mike Jackson has done a very good job since he was given the chance to take the Clarets out of the relegation zone on the back of the dismissal of Sean Dyche. Englishman Dyche also known as ‘Ginger Mourinho’ had spent nine-and-a-half years at Burnley before he was sacked shortly after the Norwich City loss last month.
Jackson picked up ten points from his first four matches in charge of the team before the start of the current losing run of two games. The interim Burnley manager began his reign with an impressive 1-1 draw with home team West Ham United before wins over Southampton, Wolves and Watford.
Burnley were on a four-match unbeaten run under Jackson before the Villa game at Turf Moor earlier this month. The run came to an end with the 3-1 defeat to the Steven Gerrard-led team. Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins all scored for Aston Villa, while substitute Maxwel Cornet pulled one back for the hosts late in the game on his return to the pitch after a few games on the sidelines due to injury.
England international Harry Kane scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot late in the first half to lead Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-0 win at home to Burnley thus making it two successive defeats for the Clarets ahead of the Villa game away from home. Burnley would be hoping to avenge the aforementioned loss to Aston Villa when the two teams meet again. Burnley can move out of the relegation zone with a point from the Villa game.
