Burnley now appear rejuvenated, re-energized and ready to resume battle with the elite this year. Thanks to the squad rebirth masterminded by Kompany, the future looks bright once again for the Clarets. 

There are a whole bunch of players caught off guard injured on the bench and they faced defeats in both their opening games of this season. Luton was not ready to host their third game and thus it got postponed also. Now, their challenges lie ahead versus the Villains. 

Villa clearly wasn't suffering a Euro hangover after their mauling by Newcastle on the opening weekend. They came flying out of the traps like Usain Bolt on rocket fuel. They have trashed Everton and are looking pretty dangerous.

Burnley vs Aston Villa

The contest will take place on Sunday, August 27th, 2023, at Turf Moor, in Burnley, Lancashire, England.

Rejuvenating Burnley Up for Challenges

Burnley have endured a dramatic rollercoaster over the past year, riding the highs and lows of football in its most extreme form. From the depths of Premier League relegation to the ecstasy of romping to the Championship title, this proud Lancashire club has been on one heck of a journey.

After six straight seasons punching above their weight in the top flight, the Clarets came crashing down in 2022. Yet like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Burnley have rebounded in style under new gaffer Vincent Kompany.

The former Man City captain has led a remarkable turnaround at Turf Moor, totally transforming the squad and playing style. Out went Sean Dyche's rugged old warhorses, in came Kompany's stylish young upstarts.

Gone was the gritty direct approach that served Burnley so well in the Premier League. In came an exciting brand of passing football that blew away all challengers in the second tier.

Hatters Hit Pause Button for Burnley

Burnley didn’t play their last weekend game against Luton town. The Premier League new boys of Luton Town have pushed the snooze button on their home opener against Burnley due to their stadium still being under construction.

Kenilworth Road is undergoing some extensive renovations to make sure it's up to scratch for its long-awaited Premier League return.

With the painters still brushing and builders still hammering, the Hatters asked the Premier League to postpone their first home match of the season against Burnley.

The league bigwigs granted Luton's request, meaning a delay to the Championship reunion between these two newly-promoted sides. Now Burnley will move to their home ground of Turf Moor to face Aston Villa.

Villans Go Wild in Goal Glut 

Aston Villa signaled their attacking intentions right from the opening whistle as they tore into Everton in a utterly dominant 4-0 drubbing. The Villains were simply sensational, carving open the hapless Toffees at will.

Everton barely had time to catch their breath before skipper John McGinn volleyed home the opener after just 18 minutes. It was a sign of things to come.

The Toffees defended more like traffic cones as Leon Bailey and then Ollie Watkins tormented their backline. Watkins was crudely scythed down by Jordan Pickford, who must have left his brains in the dressing room.

Predicted Lineups

Aston Villa: 

Emiliano Martínez, Lucas Digne, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, Douglas Luiz, Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, Emiliano Buendía, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins

Burnley: 

James Trafford, Charlie Taylor, Hjalmar Ekdal, Jordan Beyer, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Connor Roberts, Sander Berge, Jack Cork, Sander Berge, Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson, Michael Obafemi

Key Battles

• Leon Bailey vs Charlie Taylor

Jamaican speedster Bailey has been leaving defenders twisted bloodier than pretzels with his outrageous dribbling ability so far this season. 

Charlie Taylor has the unenviable task of keeping this rampaging winger under wraps. Easier said than done against the dynamo Bailey who's been hotter than fish grease in attack.

You can bet Taylor will be chomping at the bit to prove his defensive credentials by cooling down red-hot Bailey. He'll need to time his tackles with the precision of a Swiss watch to stop the Villa flier in his tracks.

• Jack Cork vs John McGinn

Cork may be getting a bit long in the tooth at 33 years old, but the midfield maestro continues to pull the strings for Burnley. He'll be keen to teach the young upstart McGinn a lesson in the center of the park.

McGinn has been at the heart of Villa's flying start, rampaging around like a kid hyped up on jelly beans. Cork will need to use all his seasoned savvy to put the clamps on the boundless McGinn and disrupt his rhythm.

Expect crunching tackles to fly as freely as seagulls scrapping over chips at the beach. Cork and McGinn both like to mix it up physically, so we could see some old school midfield battles.