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Premier League updates, 2pm BST kick-off at Turf Moor Live scoreboard | Follow us on Bluesky | And email John Perhaps the best action was on the sidelines in the South Coast grudge match. Andy Flintoff is also in touch: “If anyone has a claim for bias against them from the officials (referees, assistants and the VAR), then it would be Mac Allister - what with Tarkowski’s challenge last season and Ugochukwu’s challenge this season not being punished with reds, even after video review. ” Alun Pugh gets in touch: “Greetings John from Kyrgyzstan.

Club football is an entertaining diversion but you can’t beat the real thing. We’re on our way home from Wales’ comprehensive 1-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan in our World Cup Qualifier. We are planning to transit the five ex Soviet ‘Stans but be back in the UK the day before Wales play again in a generic and soulless shopping centre in NW London - but in the meantime can anyone identify a bar in Bishkek with the game on? Diolch. ” Liverpool were disappointing but Burnley have been very good, ready for their opponents. The first half is probably best recalled for Milos Kerkez’s swan dive of simulation and his subsequent removal for his own good. 45+2 min: Gravenberch steps forward, the ball spins to Wirtz, whose pass is aimed at Ekitike. That was close. The closest yet, in truth. 45 min: Can Liverpool rescue the half? Burnley retreat to the trenches to see out the 45. There’s three more minutes to come. 44 min: Robertson and Gakpo try to link up, but the ball inside from winger to full-back is too strong. 42 min: A Wirtz corner is bundled away and it goes all the way back to Alisson, with Burnley forwards giving chase. This has not been at all easy for Liverpool. 41 min: Ekitike, quiet so far, goes on a solo mission, weaving to the byline but his final effort is neither fish nor flesh. It required a Salah to read his intentions. Not on each other’s wavelength just yet. 39 min: Robertson almost scores straight away, galloping on like the old days, but his shot will not beat Dubravka. 38 min: Yep, Kerkez is taken off, and Andy Robertson arrives. How long until Kerkez gets back in the team? 37 min: Hartman’s corner causes problems, but Salah is sent away. He is lonesome and whacks the ball into the sky, and that’s a waste. 35 min: Kyle Walker slides across to divert the ball away when Kerkez had an overlap beckoning. Dubravka claims the corner and sends away Kyle Walker but the long ball to Laurent is overhit. Looks like Kerkez is coming off soon. 34 min: The free-kick is aimed at Ekdal who nods wide under heavy pressure from Van Dijk. 33 min: Salah is penalised for hauling back. Then Kerkez, on sudden death, fouls Anthony. Will he last past half-time? 31 min: Ricochet session in the Burnley box. Szoboszlai’s shot is deflected behind. Again, the Burnley fans cry foul. Considering Ugochukwu’s yellow before, they may wish to reconsider. But won’t. 30 min: Burnley’s fans making lots of noise. Their team has been really well organised. Foster gets a chance to run at Van Dijk, and is run into the corner. He falls over, and Burnley fans want a foul, crying corruption. Give us a break, lads. 28 min: Wirtz loses the ball and then tries to win it back off Lyle Foster, who he can’t get round. Welcome to the NFL. 27 min: This is bitty, lots of physical confrontation, just what Burnley want. Liverpool are seeing lots of the ball but it’s usually with their defenders. 25 min: Liverpool are not finding much flow. Wasn’t that supposed to be the point of Florian Wirtz? Oh, here’s Mo Salah. You don’t see much of him these days. Teething troubles for the new Liverpool. 23 min: Kerkez booed for his troubles as he has to clear a ball arrowing into the corner. 21 min: Milos Kerkez’s rather odd Liverpool career so far continues with a booking for a clear dive. It was fully deserved, and wasn’t going to fool Michael Oliver. 18 min: Arne Slot doesn’t look too impressed so far. 16 min: VAR has looked again, and the yellow will stand. Lucky boy? Mac Allister’s ankle seemed to buckle. He is back up, and is booed for his troubles. 15 min: Ooof, Alexis Mac Allister is on the end of a challenge from Ugochukwu. It looked a nasty one but not a red card. The Argentinian stays down. 13 min: This is a more open game than expected. The new Liverpool allow the opposition a bit more leeway. 11 min: Liverpool corner, Gakpo to boom in, and Konate is under it, but it loops over, off the wrong part of his head. That was gettable, if difficult. 9 min: Liverpool corner, hoiked high into the sky by Kerkez. Now, Szoboszlai is chased down. Burnley beginning to fancy this? Foster is sent away but he’s offside. Liverpool claim Ekitike was fouled in the box. Nothing doing. 7 min: The closest chance so far, and it’s Burnley who have it. The ball is forced to Jaidon Anthony and he smashes just wide. Couple of openings for Burnley on the counter, familiar looseness from Liverpool. 6 min: When Alisson gets the ball at his feet, Burnley do chase him down but soon enough withdraw into their defensive shell. 4 min: A Burnley break but Laurent is the target for a pass that doesn’t reach him. Liverpool go back again, and Gakpo cuts inside but slides wide. 3 min: Feels like Burnley are happy to dig in for this one. Liverpool are not being high-pressed, let’s put it that way. 1 min: Liverpool don’t go for the long-ball, garryowen launch to the corner that’s become so fashionable. They instead settle for a session of pass and move. One audible Burnley fan calls Virgil van Dijk a rude word as Mac Allister and Gakpo narrowly fail to link up. The teams make their way from the corner of Turf Moor, where the dressing-room is located. We await a sight of a suited and booted Isak. Curtis Jones is missing, too. Liverpool’s squad is otherwise fully fit. Arne Slot has been either lucky with injuries or manages them well. You decide. Scott Parker spoke to Sky: “We gave a challenge ahead of us today. We have challenges every week but we’re playing against a formidable team. We need to be very comfortable in certain moments today and have a certain control about us. That’s going to be the big message. ” On his 9-0 loss as Bournemouth manager at Anfield: “Me as a coach, all of that comes from learning. I’m a better version of myself four years ago, I am a better version of myself two days ago. But the Premier League has evolved as well. It’s a tough league, and I’m excited about today to try and execute and plan today and get a result. ” The defeat was three years ago to be precise, though it’s fair to say Parker has proven his credentials. Many football fans – and those in the wider sporting world – are reeling from the sad death of Ricky Hatton, a fan like they are of Manchester City. He was a true local hero. Arne Slot on Isak’s absence. “We’ve decided it is the best for him to have a proper week of training instead of every time going for five or ten minutes of playing. I can assure the fans that he will be involved on Wednesday - but this game came a bit too early. ” Liverpool host Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League. Two Burnley changes from that 3-2 loss at Old Trafford. Jacob Bruun Larsen is omitted and Hannibal Mejbri benched. for Josh Laurent and Loum Tchaouna. Armando Broja, signed from Chelsea, is on the bench. So, Liverpool unchanged from the team that beat Arsenal, free-kick hero Dominik Szoboszlai continues at right-back, despite Jeremie Frimpong’s return. He’s benched alongside Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley. You can never have too many right-backs. Burnley: Dubrabka, Walker, Hartman, Esteve, Ekdal, Ugochukwu, Anthony, Cullen, Tchaouna, Laurent, Foster. Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Humphreys, Pires, Luis, Flemming, Mejbri, Edwards, Broja Liverpool: Alisson, Szoboszlai, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Wirtz, Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo. Subs: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Bradley, Chiesa, Robertson, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ngumoha Sounds like Arne Slot would like to put the Isak saga behind Liverpool and focus on the games ahead. Woltemade was on the scoresheet on Saturday, so over to you, Florian Wirtz? The word is that there will be NO Alexander Isak for Liverpool, not even on the bench. Slot said on Friday he and the new strike have only spoken a couple of times. Federico Chiesa, left out of the Champions League squad, is likely to be included in the 18, though it’s an unchanged team, with Hugo Ekitike leading the line. Arne Slot on facing Burnley: “We know that every game is difficult and I only have to look back at last season to understand that. We had problems with Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton. ”On Isak: ”With us playing so many games there’s little training time. That is going to be a challenge but we have not signed him for the next two weeks we have signed him for six years and the fans have to keep this in mind. ” Scott Parker, the Burnley manager, spoke this week ahead of the Liverpool game: “There is work that goes into every plan which starts really early in the week. You try to identify and express areas to the players. No doubt Liverpool can cause you more problems, and there is a few more things you need to be aware of, but the tactical work stays very consistent. “We will try and keep it going. All I ask of this group is that we embrace this weekend, give the best version of ourselves - we show fight, quality, bravery and control in certain moments. We need to have unbelievable courage. You can win and lose matches, but if my group give me that I will be more than happy. ” To Turf Moor, the stadium with the best view in English football. That combination of green, rolling hills and satanic mills really stirs the soul. Two fine Lancastrian – in old money – institutions meet. For Liverpool, a club of globalisation, we await a first glimpse of Alexander Isak, most probably in a club issue tracksuit. For Burnley, there’s the hope the defensive shield of last season can be restored; it folded two weeks ago when facing mighty Manchester United…what has Scott E Parker got planned for Arne Slot’s firepower? Liverpool haven’t been much cop at defending, either. It promises to be fun. So, what we saying here? 0-0? Those games can be good, too. Kick-off at 2pm UK time, all the news before. Join me.