Burnley will have “half a chance” of securing their Premier League survival according to a top pundit if they’re able to maintain their defensive resolve.

Burnley new boy sends message to Scott Parker as former Blackburn Rovers man den...

Scott Parker’s side return to the top flight off the back of an incredible campaign in the Championship, which saw them collect 100 points and concede just 16 goals.

The gap to the Premier League is only increasing, however, with all six newly-promoted sides suffering instant relegation during the past two seasons.

Discussing Burnley’s survival hopes, Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith claims the Clarets must find a way of staying in games.

“Parker’s got to hope that he can keep that defensive resolve,” he told BestBettingSites.co.uk.

“They were sensational defensively in the Championship and he’s got to try and build on that. But if he can maintain that strength at the back, give themselves a chance to stay in a game and nick the odd win, get a draw…

“Vincent Kompany’s team didn’t have that. But you’ve got to have a sharp end up top as well, and that’s always the challenge. They’ve lost some key players as well with Josh Brownhill and CJ Egan-Riley, so we’ll see.

The odds are stacked against Scott Parker's Burnley side in the Premier League (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

“But it’s not going to be easy to keep that defensive resolve. It’s chalk and cheese in terms of the strikers you’re facing. But it gives them half a chance if they can stay solid.”

On the topic of the widening chasm between the top two divisions, ex-Arsenal striker Smith added: “It’s money really, isn’t it? Pure and simple. There’s such a huge gap now.

“Even with parachute payments, it’s hard. And when you do get promoted, do you go all out and gamble on staying up, or do you just look after the club’s finances?

“It’s a bigger gap now, and I don’t think it’s good for the game in this country. We need to try and find a way of narrowing that gap. But it is getting increasingly hard. So those three promoted clubs will find it difficult. One of them, perhaps, might survive, but they’ve got it all on."

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