Four-game losing Burnley face Crystal Palace in midweek clash.
Burnley vs. Crystal Palace kicks off at 19:30 [GMT] on Wednesday, December 3, at Turf Moor.
Burnley welcome Crystal Palace to Turf Moor in a matchup where the historical trends, recent form, and stylistic contrasts all lean heavily toward the visitors. The Clarets are looking to avoid back-to-back home defeats against Palace after losing 2–0 in November 2023. That has only happened once before, back in 2019, highlighting how rarely Palace have managed to take consecutive league wins at Turf Moor. Burnley's struggles this season, particularly at home, lay out a different narrative. Both of their Premier League wins at Turf Moor have come against fellow newly promoted sides, Sunderland and Leeds. Against teams with established Premier League footing, the record is far more concerning: just one win in their last 23 home matches against non-promoted opposition. That solitary win came over Brentford in March 2024. Their attacking output at Turf Moor is another major worry — Burnley are averaging only 6.2 shots and 2 shots on target per home match, the lowest Opta has recorded for any Premier League team at home since 2003–04. Adding that to their recent poor form, which leaves them with four losses in a row while sitting in 19th place, their chances of earning a victory here appear to be a tall order. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Zian Flemming in attack is expected against Palace.
The head-to-head picture has shifted recently. Palace did the double over Burnley last season, winning both Premier League meetings in 2023–24 after previously going five games without a win against the Clarets. Under Oliver Glasner, Palace have become more consistent and more structured, particularly against newly promoted sides. They’ve lost just one of their last 17 Premier League matches against promoted teams (W10 D6), and they come into this fixture unbeaten in 10 such games since a stumble at Luton almost two years ago. Their comfort in evening kick-offs is another positive indicator. Palace have lost only one of their last nine Premier League matches starting at 7pm or later, and although that defeat came in a heavy loss to Newcastle, they generally perform well under the lights. Defensively, Palace have improved drastically away from home under Glasner. They kept just one clean sheet in his first 12 away league games, but since December 2024, they’ve kept 10 shutouts in 19 away matches—more than any other team in that period. Jean-Philippe Mateta adds another layer to Palace’s threat. He has six goals in his last eight Premier League appearances against newly promoted sides, and he scored against Burnley in February 2024 in Glasner’s first match in charge. He is expected at the attacking end of Palace’s 4—2—3—1 formation.