Burnley v Leeds United: YEP jury predictions

With Burnley unbeaten in their last 17 league games and Leeds without a win now in three, it would be easy to write off our visit to Turf Moor this weekend as a certain home victory.

Burnley also sit top of the table, of course, with the two automatic promotion spots looking certain to come from the Lancashire side, Brighton and Middlesbrough while Leeds are still maybe one win away from being safe from any threat of relegation.

Yet closer inspection of recent games does give some hope for the Whites.

Burnley are also without a win in several weeks, having shared the points in their last three, including home draws with Cardiff and Wolves, and it could be argued that Leeds have not played that badly in recent games; that humiliation against Huddersfield aside.

Our perennial problem of defenders making stupid, needless mistakes continues to haunt us, with Peppe Bellusci currently the main culprit.

What do we do with a problem like Bellusci? If – and it is a huge if – we could just cut those mistakes from our game we’d be a match for most in the division and we’d be a lot closer to Burnley in the table than Bolton.

Steve Evans has a huge decision to make ahead of the Burnley game; does he drop Bellusci after his latest two calamitous errors? Or, does he recognise that, those clangers apart, Bellusci has been the best centre-back at the club for several weeks now? Who’d be a manager?

It is not as if Liam Cooper and Sol Bamba have been error-free this season either.

Would it be worth trying Scott Wootton in there? I’m still not sure what I would do in Evans’ shoes, although a section of the Kop booing Bellusci at the end of the QPR game will be in his mind.

There is no place for booing our own players, whatever the scale of their errors on the pitch. Our record at Turf Moor is mixed; our last 10 visits have seen us win six and lose just four, but the last time the fixture at Burnley was drawn was over 40 years ago.

I think I’ll go for the draw!

Prediction: Burnley 2 Leeds United 2.

DAVID WATKINS

Is it really only nine months since the ball was kicked off because it feels a lot longer than that.

The optimism has gone and another season is ambling to a uninspiring finish. We are a hardy lot us Leeds fans, but this season just seems worse for some reason.

Another two points were tossed away on Tuesday versus QPR thanks to the man who, it would seem, cannot be dropped by his head coach. At the very start of Steve Evans’ time at Leeds, he said players would be picked on performance, or did I hear that wrong?

The Saturday is a lunch time kick off due to it being televised by Sky and I’m quite nervous that we could be embarrassed by a team on form and on top of the table.

Marco Silverstri is back from suspension but his deputy, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, did all that was asked of him during the youngster’s debut versus QPR. May I suggest that a player dropped after one mistake replace a walking mistake, Scott Wootton to partner Liam Cooper in the centre-back pairing. Sol Bamba and Bellusci do not fill me with any confidence for a game against Burnley – or any team.

I just cannot see Leeds getting anything from this game and I’m just hoping that it’s not another Brighton or Huddersfield.

Prediction: Burnley 3 Leeds United 0.

KEITH INGHAM

It’s a shame the football isn’t better if only so it could distract us from rolling news of newly freed former directors with a story to tell, more resignations of key backroom staff and the impropriety of Edoardo Cellino.

Alas the football is painful to watch.

We played out a tepid draw against QPR on Tuesday after Giuseppe Bellusci gave away his second needless penalty in four days.

In his post-match interview, Steve Evans said the answer was to take Bellusci away and do some analysis. I’ve done my own analysis. We’re rubbish, we’ve been rubbish for weeks, we’ve sold the player who was making us tick, the season’s over and nobody seems to care. You’re welcome Steve.

Prediction: Burnley 2 Leeds United 0.

MATTHEW EVANS

Are we there yet? The 2015/16 season seems to be dragging on like the interminable car journeys of our childhood.

Every game that passes now is like a milemarker being ticked off before the summer holidays can finally begin.

Saturday offers no respite to the misery, with a trip to high-flying Burnley. The opening-day draw seems a lifetime ago, a period when the club actually seemed to be set up to go places. Now, as the season draws to a close, we appear to have gone full circle to this time last year. We have a team heading for a lower mid-table finish, a coach who appears to have no future and another summer of upheaval ahead.

The fans’ loyalty remains the club’s only redeeming feature.

Prediction: Burnley 3 Leeds United 0.

STEPHEN CLARK

After snatching a draw from the jaws of victory United head across the Pennines to take on Burnley.

Under the very professional – and understated – stewardship of their owners and manager, Sean Dyche, The Clarets look destined for the Premier League. (Please take note all at LS11!).

If our very own “chuckle brothers” from Rotherham play – goalkeeper Marco Silvestre and centre-back Giuseppe Bellusci) then prepare yourself for yet another TV embarrassment.

We still need around another two points to secure Championship safety.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that they will come this Saturday.

Prediction: Burnley 3 Leeds United 0.

GARY NEWBOULD

This is a huge game for Burnley as they are chasing automatic promotion. For us, our season is over so it is a good chance to cause an upset and give our fans something to cheer about. I am expecting us to sit behind the ball and play on the counter-attack, but Burnley will be too strong.

Prediction: Burnley 2 Leeds United 0.

JAMES HARRISON