Sean Dyche has confirmed Ashley Barnes and Jack Cork are in contention to return to the fold for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea. Burnley have impressed during the early stages of 2019-20 but suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Leicester on Saturday.
Chris Wood handed Burnley a 1-0 lead at King Power Stadium before goals from Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans, along with a controversial VAR moment, denied them any points.
Despite that defeat, they still sit in a lofty eighth position and return to Turf Moor for the visit of Chelsea this weekend.
Their Lancashire base has proven to be a happy hunting ground so far in 2019-20, winning three of their four engagements, and they will hope to build on that solid platform against the Blues.
Burnley boss Dyche could be boosted by two key figures for the clash after striker Barnes and midfielder Cork returned to training.
Barnes, who has hit four goals in the Premier League this term, sat out the loss to Leicester with a minor groin problem.
The 29-year-old had started their previous eight matches and his absence clearly had an impact against the Foxes.
Meanwhile, Cork has missed their last two games with a fractured shoulder blade sustained in the draw with Aston Villa.
Dyche admits the pair will need to be monitored closely over the course of the week but is hopeful over their availability. “Barnesy is not a million miles away but it is that tricky decision of do you play and it get worse, or do you not and you make sure you have an increased chance for the next one,” Dyche told the club’s official website. “It is the same with Corky, who has this tiny fracture in his shoulder blade, but if someone landed on it then it re-fractures and you add another three or four weeks again. They have a strong chance (for Chelsea).”
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