Burnley face fresh competition for £12m-rated defender, Arsenal's £7m signing set for exit

The third round clash will see Sean Dyche' s side look to end their seven game streak without a win, and gain some much needed positive momentum to kick-start their second half of the season.

When the two teams last faced each other, back in 2019, a fiery encounter saw the Clarets grab a 2-1 win on the road, in a game that saw both sides have a man sent off.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's lunchtime kick-off, assistant manager Ian Woan reflected on the unexpected responsibility of leading the side in Dyche's absence while he isolates due to a positive Covid-19 test, and said: “You can imagine how he (Dyche) is being a patient...he'll be bouncing off the walls, I'd have thought, but I've been in constant dialogue with him, spoke to him 10 minutes ago, so he will have an impact on team selection obviously, we'll have a good chat about that when the lates round of tests come in.

“I don't know what sort of involvement he can have on Saturday, whether he can stream the game, but I'll be surprised if there's not a phone call at half-time, shall we say.

“I'm amazed he's not walking through these doors now, we've been together 10 years, a year at Watford, he never missed a game, and nine and a half years here, he's not missed a game - I've missed one through Covid - but it's the first time he won't be at the side of the pitch. Not a bad record is it!

“It's quiet! It will be odd, Steve Stone won't be here either, he's tested positive, so we'll be a couple down on the bench, I was a bit lonely in the office this morning. Billy Mercer is a bit under the weather, but he's fine at the moment, I was sitting having breakfast on my own this morning!”

Take a look at today's biggest stories from the Premier League, as the build-up to this weekend's third round action continues: