Burnley Relegation Odds: Clarets 8/1 to stay up following impressive Sheffield Utd win

Burnley had been dismissed as Premier League relegation certainties a few weeks ago but a 4-1 win at Sheffield United has left them still in with a chance of retaining their top-flight status with four games remaining.

The Clarets are three points off safety before fellow strugglers Everton and Nottingham Forest face off in a crucial battle at Goodison Park on Sunday, so let’s have a look at how Vincent Kompany’s team have got into this mess and their chances of getting out of it.

Slow start costly

There was little anticipation that Burnley would find themselves in this predicament when they stormed their way to the Championship title 12 months ago.

Under former manager Sean Dyche, they were renowned for their ability to scrap and do enough to stay in the top flight while making any visit to Turf Moor a tough one.

However, despite finishing 10 points ahead of Sheffield United and 21 ahead of Luton in Vincent Kompany's debut campaign, their struggles started from virtually the first kick of the season as they found themselves with their backs against the wall from the off, having claimed just four points from their opening 13 games.

They lost their first seven matches at their Lancashire base before beating the Blades 5-0 at the start of December, with their only other home success coming against Brentford a month ago.

The Clarets had not won in seven away games either before their win at Bramall Lane on Saturday, although there have definitely been positive signs of life recently.

They surrendered a two-goal lead at West Ham to draw at the London Stadium and would be desperate for those points at this stage, while their performance with 10 men to earn a similar result at Chelsea has to be applauded.

Home draws with Wolves and Brighton have also been earned, and the only defeat they have suffered in the last seven league games was at Everton when a clearance from goalkeeper Arijanet Muric hit Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s backside and looped into the net.

That was another game where they ended the afternoon a man short and keeping discipline will be key in their remaining four games of the season which could herald a miraculous comeback few will have seen coming.

Run-in looks a tough one

After finding themselves in such a deep hole, manager Kompany will probably be delighted to see his team with only a three-point gap to make up with four games to go, yet they are still 8/1 to be playing in the Premier League next season.

A crucial factor for that would be the fixtures the Lancashire outfit have been left with in their quest to save themselves.

Of the 23 points they have mustered this season, 10 of them have come against the two teams who came up out of the Championship with them and it can hardly be considered good form when Sheffield United look set to be imminently relegated while Luton hit their nadir with a 5-1 home loss to Brentford on Saturday.

As the old terrace song goes, they probably do wish they could play them every week.

Their home game against the Bees is one of just five matches they have won all season and with a victory at Fulham being their only other success, they have not beaten anyone in the top half of the table.

To make matters even more intimidating, they have not taken a single point in their 11 games against teams who occupy the top seven spots in the Premier League table.

The Clarets have scored eight goals and conceded 33 in those matches and it is therefore a big problem when they face three such teams in their final quartet of fixtures.

They could take confidence from the next one being at Manchester United, who they probably gave the toughest time in all of those games in a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor in December.

Kompany's men are priced at 7/1 to win at Old Trafford, while they are 7/2 to take away what still might be a crucial point.

But then it gets even tougher as they are due to host Newcastle who have lost just two of their last 11 matches and brushed Tottenham aside 4-0 last week.

A trip to Spurs then awaits where Ange Postecoglou’s side have won eight of their last nine league outings and will probably still be gunning for fourth spot in the penultimate week.

It’s all very daunting, so Kompany’s aim has to be to somehow still be in the hunt on the final day when they have a potentially huge home game against Forest.

The travel-sick Tricky Trees have won just two of their away games this season and head to Goodison this week having won just two of their last 13 league matches.

But Burnley really have their work cut out to be still fighting at that stage and are 1/14 to be relegated, with Forest at 3/1 and Everton at 11/2.