What games Burnley's AFCON players could miss as Lyle Foster earns call-up
Lyle Foster has been named in South Africa’s preliminary squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
The striker is among a party of 54 players for this winter’s tournament, which gets underway on December 21 in Morocco.
Foster is a regular starter for South Africa and is expected to make the final cut.
Hugo Broos’ side kick off their tournament against Manuel Benson’s Angola on December 22, before facing Egypt (December 26) and Zimbabwe (December 29) in their other two group games.
Foster’s Burnley teammates Axel Tuanzebe and Hannibal are also expected to miss game time for Burnley and receive call-ups for DR Congo and Tunisia respectively.
The Burnley Express has launched a new WhatsApp channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our Burnley Express WhatsApp channel.
Congo face Benin, Senegal and Botswana in the group phase, while Tunisia – who recently qualified for next summer’s World Cup – take on Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania.
The tournament, which was won by Ivory Coast last time out, runs until January 18 for the finalists.
While it’s yet to be officially announced when Burnley’s trio of players will depart, it’s understood the trip to Newcastle United on Saturday, December 6 will be the last game they’re available for.
That means they’ll also miss the games against Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton and the return game against Newcastle, plus potentially more depending how far their respective countries get in the tournament.
Burnley disruption
While acknowledging the pride of having Burnley represented on an international stage, Clarets boss Scott Parker recently admitted it will cause one or two headaches for his side.
“It'll be difficult,” Parker admits.
"It's not ideal obviously, but of course it’s a big competition that just falls at this time of the year.
"We'll have to look at that and take that into consideration, certainly regarding January as well. But like I said, we've got a big squad and people have to come in for that.”
Your next Burnley FC read: 'I'd be worried': Wayne Rooney issues blunt verdict on Burnley's survival chances