Gudmundsson a doubt for Hull trip with knee injury

Burnley are expected to be without midfielders Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Steven Defour at Hull City on Saturday.
Johann Gudmundsson goes off injured

against Lincoln CityJohann Gudmundsson goes off injured

against Lincoln City
Johann Gudmundsson goes off injured against Lincoln City

Gudmundsson picked up an knee injury in the first half of Saturday’s FA Cup defeat at home to Lincoln City, while Defour has missed the last threee games with a hamstring problem suffered in the win against Leicester City.

Robbie Brady returns to the squad for the trip to his former club, having been cup-tied against the Imps, but boss Sean Dyche explained the extent of Gudmundsson’s injury: “It’s unlikely Johann will be fit for the weekend, it’s nothing too drastic, but he opened up the medial knee ligament.

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“It wasn’t a great challenge on him, and he strained the ligament.”

Defour is improving, but will again be absent: “Steven is back on the grass, and will be building that up over the next week, but he won’t be right for this weekend.”

Nick Pope was going to start against Lincoln, but suffered an ankle injury in training: “Popey turned his ankle landing after catching a ball, and it’s a case of that settling down.”

The game at the KCOM Stadium is the first of four-successive Premier League away games, as Burnley search for that elusive first win on the road.

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The Clarets are 10 points clear of the Tigers, who occupy the final relegation spot.

And Dyche said: “The onus is on the opposition, no one thinks we can win away, but it’s about us keep delivering performances. Over time, that will change the results.

“The statistics are in our favour, the longer you go without a win, that win comes towards you. And at Hull, and Swansea next week, the expectation level of the home fans will be through the roof.

“We’ll just get on with it, and play with that freedom, but their fans will think ‘we have to beat these.’”

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Burnley are good at dealing with disappointments, and the cup exit to National League Lincoln has been parked: “We have to get it in balance, we’ve worked hard for what we’ve got, for every good moment we’ve had, and it sometimes goes against you.

“But Lincolne had one effort on target, so it was something of an anomaly.

“We didn’t create enough quality chances, but that side, did terrific against Sunderland and Bristol City in the cup.

“And the clarity of our work has always been the Premier League, 100% – anything else is a bonus. The challenge for us is to stay in the Premier League, and we think we can do that this year, despite being written off.”

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Joey Barton came under the microscope after the Lincoln game, after an incident with Imps striker Matt Rhead, but Dyche noted: In the cold light of day, I was amazed Rhead was still on the pitch.

“I don’t want to open old wounds, and it is by the by, but the moment of truth was early in the game.

“99 times out of 100, in the Premier League, the referee is under pressure to deal with that.”