Mark Lawrenson lauds 'excellent' Burnley and casts Aston Villa scoreline prediction

Burnley will look to make it three wins on the bounce this evening, when they take on Aston Villa at Turf Moor.
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Casting his pre-match prediction for BBC Sport, pundit Mark Lawrenson backed the Clarets to secure a 1-1 draw against Dean Smith's side.

Justifying his scoreline choice, the ex-Republic of Ireland international explained: “Burnley followed up their excellent win over Liverpool with another impressive display to knock Fulham out of the FA Cup at the weekend.

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“I was at that victory at Anfield for BBC Radio 5 Live, and Burnley were so well drilled at the back. Their two centre-halves, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, are the driving force but as a unit they are very tight.”

He continued: “It reminded me of George Graham's famous defence when he was Arsenal boss, and they have clearly worked extremely hard on their shape and organisation at the back.

Turf Moor is always a test, especially when Burnley are playing like this, but Aston Villa have also looked pretty sharp since returning to action after being hit by the coronavirus outbreak, and they will make it a close game.”

Meanwhile, Lawro's opponent for the week, TV Priest guitarist Alex Sprogis, tipped the Clarets to pick up a 2-0 victory, citing their impressive recent form as the reason for his backing.

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The last time the two sides met, in the week before last Christmas, the two sides played out a goalless draw at Villa Park, in a game which saw the hosts somehow fail to score despite taking 27 shots at goal.