Why Burnley are worth backing for a top-10 finish this season

The season is shaping up nicely for Burnley, who are having their third bash at Premier League football. The Lancashire outfit currently sit deservedly in the top half of the table, and at 11/1, we reckon they may be worth backing to stay there.

As the Premier League takes a timeout for the international break, some parts of it look pretty routine. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are no surprises at the top, while few will express shock at seeing Sunderland, Hull and Swansea near the bottom.

But there aren’t many who would have called Sean Dyche’s men sitting in ninth at this stage in the campaign.

The Clarets’ previous two Premier League efforts ended in relegation, and given their modest budget the bookies made them odds-on pre-season to go down once again.

Fast forward to the present day however, and the Turf Moor faithful can find their side are now odds-against for relegation.

But could there be more to the Clarets’ season than mere survival?

Only Liverpool and Manchester City – the top two – boast as many home wins this term, and the grit and determination shown by Dyche’s boys in the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford showed they can achieve points on the road.

And there are more factors too, which may point towards the 11/1 on Burnley landing a top-10 this season coming true.

While i it can be assumed that Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham will occupy the top-six spots come May, the four remaining top-half places could be anyone’s.

Everton currently sit seventh, but with one win in six, Ronald Koeman’s side have really gone off the boil of late. Reports continue to link Romelu Lukaku with a move away from Goodison too.

And two other mid-table contenders are in complete disarray.

Reigning champions Leicester – a pre-season favourite to secure a top-10 spot – now sit just two points above the relegation zone in 14^th.

And things are even worse at West Ham, who look a shadow of the side which finished seventh last season.

Meanwhile, another two surprise mid-table packages from last term – Southampton and Stoke – are both struggling to find consistency this time around.

And finally, the current point spread suggests a 45-point total after 38 games may be enough for a top-half finish this season.

That’s only a few points more than the 40-point total teams like Burnley may be aiming at, and if they keep maintain their current performances for the rest of the season, the Clarets can achieve so much more than they may have envisaged.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing