Bournemouth v Burnley: Team newspublished at 14:00 GMT 20 December 2025
14:00 GMT 20 December 2025
Bournemouth make two changes from the side that started their 4-4 Premier League draw at Manchester United on Monday.
Lewis Cook and David Brooks both come back into the line up with Adam Smith dropping to the bench and Tyler Adams sidelined with a knee injury he picked up at Old Trafford.
Subs: Dennis, Soler, Scott, Christie, Smith, Adli, Kroupi, Hill, Unal.
Burnley make six alterations to the side that began their 3-2 top-flight loss to Fulham at Turf Moor last weekend.
Kyle Walker, Joe Worrall, Jaidon Anthony, Zian Flemming, Lucas Pires and Josh Laurent all start in place of Quilindschy Hartman, Maxime Esteve, Axel Tuanzebe, Florentino, Armando Broja and Lyle Foster.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Liverpool", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Bournemouth v Burnleypublished at 11:00 GMT 20 December 2025
11:00 GMT 20 December 2025
Both of these sides are without a win in seven league games but Burnley's problems are deeper because they have lost every time during that run.
So, their boss Scott Parker really needs a positive result against his former club.
We have had callers on 606 suggesting his time is up at Turf Moor, but I think that is harsh because they have still been competitive despite all those defeats.
I always thought they would struggle this season after getting promoted and I am sure their fans did too but, as I have said many times already, because Sunderland are doing so well, it means Clarets fans are asking: 'Why can't that be us?'
Bournemouth were second on 26 October, but are now 13th after taking only three points in total from those seven games.
The Cherries' 4-4 draw at Old Trafford on Monday was an extraordinary game and proved again what I already thought - that they have goals in them.
I can see Burnley giving them a good game too, but this is where Andoni Iraola's side get back to winning ways.
Bournemouth v Burnley : Key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:37 GMT 19 December 2025
18:37 GMT 19 December 2025
Henry Cowling BBC Sport journalist
Bournemouth will be looking to end a winless run of seven Premier League matches when they welcome a struggling Burnley side to the south coast on Saturday (15:00 GMT). BBC Sport looks at some of the key themes before the match.
Bournemouth have benefited from the fact Ghana didn't qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, as it means star man Antoine Semenyo will be with them for the busy festive period. Semenyo's goal against Manchester United took his tally to seven in the league so far this season.
But it was the other goalscorers against United that will give the Cherries encouragement of breaking their poor run of form.
Striker Evanilson's tidy finish ended a goalless run dating back to the end of August, while Marcus Tavernier and Junior Kroupi chipped in with their fourth and fifth league goals respectively.
Semenyo, though, is something of a talisman. Bournemouth have only lost two games in which he's scored since his debut in 2023 – little wonder they're loathe to lose him in January, with several clubs reportedly interested in triggering his £65m release clause.
Parker's Premier League struggles
The struggles Burnley are experiencing will be all too familiar for head coach Scott Parker.
His promotion with the Clarets last season is the third time he has steered a club from the Championship to the top tier, after doing so with Fulham in 2020 and Bournemouth in 2022 - but he has found life in the Premier League difficult.
Parker couldn't save Fulham from relegation when he took over in February 2019, but managed to take them back to the top flight via the play-offs in 2020. After just one season, The Cottagers were back in the Championship, finishing 18th and 11 points from safety.
Parker then took over at Bournemouth, where he again achieved promotion from the Championship – but was sacked just four games into the Premier League season after a 9-0 loss to Liverpool.
Parker has the highest points per game of any manager to have taken charge of at least 50 Championship matches since 2004-05, but the second lowest of any manager with 50-plus games in the Premier League since 1992-93 – behind only Daniel Farke.
'Dyche era was special' - Vokespublished at 16:47 GMT 19 December 2025
16:47 GMT 19 December 2025
Image source, Getty Images
Former Burnley striker Sam Vokes reflects fondly on a "special" era under Sean Dyche at Turf Moor.
Vokes joined Burnley in 2012 under Eddie Howe, whom he had played for at Bournemouth and who had also signed Vokes' former Cherries' team-mate Danny Ings.
It was not long after though that Dyche became manager and he took the Clarets from the second tier to Europa League qualification in a historic period for the club.
Vokes is grateful for the opportunities he had during this time.
"I was fortunate to play under [Howe and Dyche]," Vokes told BBC Radio Solent. "I learnt a lot from both of them.
"When Dyche came in, he played a style of football that really suited me - a successful style that everyone bought into at Burnley. The club, the players.
"Burnley before were a so-called 'yo-yo' club. We stayed in the Premier League for five or six seasons and we reached the heights of Europe, playing against the likes of Olympiacos.
"Scoring my first goal at that level was huge and it gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League on a regular basis.
"It was an amazing period for me at Burnley - it's fantastic looking back on those memories."
Vokes was loaned out by former club Wolves six times before he made the permanent move to Burnley, where he became the scorer of the side's first European club competition goal in more than 50 years against Aberdeen in 2018.
His fondness for Burnley extends beyond the football pitch.
"Apart from starting my career at Bournemouth, [Burnley] was where I really found myself at home," he said. "To settle down somewhere like that, to call it home, my family felt at home, it was special times."
Parker on injuries, Flemming starting and his own positionpublished at 14:34 GMT 19 December 2025
14:34 GMT 19 December 2025
Grace Wheeler BBC Sport
Media caption,
Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Parker confirmed there are no new injuries to his players: "We have had a couple of players come back and a few illnesses are going around this week. But we are in good shape."
He commented on Zian Flemming's possibility of starting for his team: "He has done incredibly well, not starting this season then coming back in and scoring goals. It is a hard decision you have to make as a coach but we will see what selection we will go with."
The boss commented about poor recent results: "My emotions are stable. My age and vast amount of experience is used to dealing with these bumps that we get. I understand what is needed for this fight we are in and not getting the results. As always it is picked up with a microscope and it's the results in terms of us not winning that has brought that spotlight. That spotlight gets spread far and then people see other issues. I am not going to be embarrassed to sit here and lie because it's the truth."
Parker also said he is keeping an eye on spirit within his squad: "Regarding the team and where they are, that is a constant challenge for me and that is at the forefront of my mind at this present moment. It is where the team are psychologically, human beings who are facing adversity for the first time. Fundamentally where their mindsets are is crucial to me."
Parker went into his own position and said: "Of course I am feeling the pressure for my role. I have felt it when I have sat in this seat or walked out onto the pitch. No-one will put more pressure on me than I put on myself. I am a winner and I am fighter."
He added: "When there is fear, doubt, adversity and the spotlight is on them, we need to be different. What I mean by that is, this is a tough world and a tough situation as a group but this is what we do. No matter what we face, there will be a team out there that give everything."
Parker confirmed he is getting support from the owner: "I feel more support than I have had in my managerial career. I feel a hurt and compassion for all of us. You don't become a bad coach in four months. You are working tirelessly and you are fully committed. It's what you sign up for. I am an emotional person and I wear my heart in my sleeve. I try and not let it out but sometimes it just does."
He added: To get the team to this position in the Premier League and see it change so quickly is hurtful. I will never be in doubt, you can chuck anything at me and I will keep bouncing back to try and improve this group."
'I wouldn't object to a change of manager'published at 12:01 GMT 16 December 2025
12:01 GMT 16 December 2025
Natalie Bromley Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Every other season, I really hate football. And this is one of those seasons.
We spent so much of the earlier parts of this season bemoaning our early fixtures and confidentiality saying we would be in a much stronger position once we had our run of mid-table fixtures. That confidence has been extinguished at an alarming rate, with the Clarets picking up not a single point against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brentford and West Ham United. We sit in 19th, with just 10 points from 16 games and 6 points adrift of safety.
I thought the Kompany era was bad. This might be worse.
It's the manner of the defeats that are worrying me the most. We are atrocious in defence, our midfield is invisible, and we have no attacking threat. And, despite what Scott Parker claims to the contrary, very little fight in the squad. As much as I hate to single out one player, the vision of Quilindschy Hartman casually strolling back to track his man when his team was 2-1 down in a crucial home match epitomised everything that is painful about this team right now.
It is for that reason that I wouldn't object to a change of manager. Parker is an incredible human being, and I really wanted this to work for him. But he is far too safe and unambitious to succeed in the Premier League. The cracks were there last season - if it had not been for a spectacularly timed Sheffield United capitulation, Burnley would have had to settle for the playoffs and likely lose to Sunderland - but the joy of automatic promotion muted some warning bells.
The board hasn't spent well. The recruitment hasn't been good enough. And Parker doesn't have the dogged fight in him to get the best out of an underperforming side.
Harsh? Probably. But the joy and optimism have been drained out of me this season. And, as has been the case in so many other Premier League seasons, I can't wait for it to be over.
'Parker has done the exactly the same job as Kompany'published at 08:50 GMT 16 December 2025
08:50 GMT 16 December 2025
The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith has observed a pattern in Burnley's attempts to establish a foothold in the Premier League.
After winning the 2022-23 Championship by a 10-point margin, Vincent Kompany's Burnley failed to find their feet in the top tier - and now, we're seeing history repeat itself, Smith says.
"[Appointing] Parker was a deliberate response to that [naive style under Kompany], to say 'that will not keep us up'," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"The risk they were taking is: 'We've tried the fun way, and we went down. So let's try the non-fun way.'
"Parker has done the exactly the same job as Vincent Kompany - he got Burnley promoted, and now they're not quite good enough to stay up."
"They are very soft goals and Burnley are always fighting back in games. They very rarely go two goals up and can actually breathe and have a second to relax.
"They are always pushing for a goal to come back. When you concede first, and concede first so many times, it's difficult as a player and so demoralising.
"It's 'here we go again and again' and you know you have to score three or four goals in a lot of games to get something. Even the top teams can't sustain that.
"If you stay up in the Premier League you either outscore teams - you have a wonderful goalscorer, you have a really mean defence or your home record is phenomenal.
"Burnley haven't got any of those three or the ingredients to keep them up. They are just falling short in every area. The middle bit is fine but that's not where games are won and lost. They are won and lost in both penalty boxes and they just come up short every game.
"The margins are verym very small and Burnley don't create enough to take their opportunities.
"Fulham get gifted the first two goals - opposition teams don't have to work hard to score against Burnley.
"Scott Parker has been looking for that formula, his best XI, but no matter what formation he's played or system he's tried he's not found it yet.
"That is because his players at this level are not consistently good enough. They are good enough but not consistently good enough."
John: The Newcastle game was a flash in the pan. Back down to earth with this inept performance. Offensively pretty clueless. Defensively, we are going backwards and in truth, the score flattered us. Big changes now inevitable.
Gareth: Overall we played quite well against a lively Fulham team and created more chances than usual. We lost because of three awful pieces of defending as Martin Dubravka didn't have much else to do. However, this is happening every week now, the defence just isn't good enough for this level. I doubt a change of manager will make any real difference but I'm sure Scott Parker will know that this losing streak has to end soon if he is to keep the majority of fans on his side.
Richard: Same again, lacking any sort of finisher in the opposition box. Last season, our top goalscorer was our midfielder Josh Brownhill, and with no real finisher in the team this season we are struggling. Armando Broja and Lyle Foster both look short on confidence.
John: Two poor selections by Parker as Axel Tuanzebe is not a full-back so Oliver Sonne should have started while Foster isn't a right-winger so Marcus Edwards or Jaidon Anthony should have started. We seem to be going backwards now. Poor passing, poor concentration and poor marking. A team that was excellent in defence last season is giving away too many cheap goals.
Fulham fans
Kevin: What could have been a comfortable win became a nerve-wracking final quarter as our defence was poor again. Better teams will, and have already, take advantage of sloppy passing and poor decision-making.
James: A great attacking performance. They looked good all game (especially Harry Wilson) and deserved to win the game. The defence were not looking at their best but I'm happy Antonee Robinson is back.
Nick: Big collective sigh of relief but we should have had that game wrapped up by half-time. Please Mr Khan/Marco Silva, can we get a striker sorted early January, you're going to bring Raul's career to a premature end if you keep on like this. The chap is exhausted.
Will: Very, very important win. Breaking a generational dry streak at Turf Moor to help move us away from the bottom. Wilson is a true magician.
Burnley analysis: Shooting themselves in the footpublished at 22:05 GMT 13 December 2025
22:05 GMT 13 December 2025
James Law BBC Sport Senior Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Burnley had 16 shots, eight on target and had an expected goals (xG) of 2.52 - totals which you would expect to be enough to win a game.
But it is their wretched defensive record which is costing them as we approach the midway point of the season.
Scott Parker's side conceded just 16 goals in 46 Championship matches last season, a quite unbelievable record.
And, while no-one expected his side to maintain those kind of numbers at this level, the general standard of their defending has been surprising as well as bitterly disappointing.
Hartman did well to thwart Wilson on the counter-attack before half-time but that was not enough to cancel out his feeble attempt at clearing an average corner, which allowed Fulham a simple opener from three yards.
And just as poor was the marking for the visitors' second - three Burnley defenders all within a couple yards of Bassey but not one of them contested the header.
It is not just the club who are on a horrific run of defeats - Parker himself has now lost 23 of his past 30 Premier League matches, across spells with Bournemouth and Fulham, with only Daniel Farke losing a higher ratio (67%) among managers with 50+ games in the division.
Burnley 2-3 Fulham: What Parker saidpublished at 20:25 GMT 13 December 2025
20:25 GMT 13 December 2025
Media caption,
Burnley boss Scott Parker told BBC Sport after their 3-2 defeat against Fulham: "Frustrating. Disappointed. I've stood in front of you guys for the first 15 or 16 games with the same message.
"In this division you can't afford to give away goals like we have. We were competitive. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. To score three or four goals to get points is a huge challenge.
"You could watch the first 15-odd games and it would be the same cycle.
"It's an element of concentration and focus. It's a deadly league. One lapse in concentration and nine times out of 10 it's in the back of the net.
"There are massive positives from today.
"The fine margins are what we've been on the wrong end of. The higher level you go anywhere in life, it's the fine margins.
"I feel I have a strong together group. You can't deny this is a group together fully committed. Human nature tells you it'll take its toll. It's my job to try to lift us up.
"We had a mountain to climb in this league. The mountain isn't huge for us. It's just a tiny bit [we need to fix]."
Fulham come into this off the back of two home defeats, but Marco Silva makes just the one change - Antonee Robinson in for Timothy Castagne at left-back.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Fulham", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Burnley v Fulhampublished at 11:39 GMT 13 December 2025
11:39 GMT 13 December 2025
It is only December but this is a must-win for Burnley, in terms of confidence and also staying in touch with the teams above the relegation zone.
Look at Leeds at the moment and you can see they have got some confidence. Burnley are the opposite, after losing six games on the spin.
It is a big game for Fulham too, who are still in danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap.
For all their good play and excitement in pushing Manchester City and Crystal Palace close in the past few days, Marco Silva's side did not pick up any points.
So, it is vital they get something at Turf Moor, and I think they will. The obvious result is a draw and this time I am going to go with it.
Fulham's away form has been pretty poor but they do have some real quality in their team. Harry Wilson has been excellent for them this season, but while I don't see them losing this, I don't see them nicking it either.
Burnley v Fulham: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:03 GMT 12 December 2025
19:03 GMT 12 December 2025
Henry Cowling BBC Sport journalist
Burnley will be looking to end a run of six straight league defeats when they welcome Fulham to Turf Moor on Saturday. BBC Sport looks at some of the key themes going into the match.
Despite losing 2-1 last time out against Newcastle, Burnley head coach Scott Parker took positives from his side's showing. He even went as far as calling it "incredible" and suggested it may have been the Clarets' best performance of the season.
While they showed character in limiting Eddie Howe's side to a narrow win, made closer by Zian Flemming's stoppage-time penalty, the result was all too familiar.
History on their side
The result left Burnley on just 10 points after 15 games, and five points from safety. Historically, though, that provides cause for optimism.
Ten of the 17 Premier League teams who have been on 10 points at this stage of a season have gone on to avoid relegation.
Out of the past five teams to find themselves in that situation, only two have been relegated. Most recently, Wolves managed to turn their season around in 2022-23 after hiring Julien Lopetegui in November.
Burnley can also take confidence from being unbeaten in their last 29 home league games against Fulham, whose last victory at Turf Moor came in April 1951.
You're a wizard, Harry
The Cottagers come into this fixture after a 2-1 defeat at home by Crystal Palace. It was a game in which they struggled to break down the resolute Palace backline, and their goal came from a moment of inspiration from Harry Wilson.
Wilson producing goals out of nothing is quickly becoming quite the occurrence. The Wales international has now produced three goal involvements in his past three games, starting that run by scoring from nearly 40 yards out against Tottenham.
It leaves him joint top at the club for goal involvements in the league this season, alongside AC Milan loanee Samuel Chukwueze.
With Chukwueze and fellow attacking option Alex Iwobi both set to head to the Africa Cup of Nations next week, Fulham are likely to be looking to Wilson for attacking invention as they navigate the busy festive period.
'We need to be fighters' - Parker on Turf Moor and 'adversity'published at 14:58 GMT 11 December 2025
14:58 GMT 11 December 2025
Media caption,
Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham at Turf Moor (kick-off 17:30).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Parker will put out the same squad as he did last weekend, with no new injuries.
He took "massive encouragement" from the intent his team showed during the Newcastle defeat, particularly seeing "a fight, a spirit and a doggedness" in his players.
On the role that senior players play in his young squad: "I lean on them a lot. There's always a big emphasis on those boys to step forward at certain moments and show leadership qualities, to bring a young group together, and educate on the pitch as well as off it."
On whether his team are coming together quickly enough: "The cold hard reality is along any season - or any journey in life - there's some bumps and some adversity. Maybe the modern day world has not allowed us to embrace that adversity. We want a quick fix, an instant click of a finger, for things to be put right. Speaking with experience, that's not reality."
Parker added: "I've got a group that look up, face up, and go again. With that attitude, that desire, you have a chance, in terms of progressing and becoming better. I see that in this group."
On the role of the home crowd on Saturday: "I understand there's a hard-working fan base that come into the stadium to support this team and are desperate for a result. We are equally as desperate. We need their full backing. We need them right behind this young group - through thick, through thin. we need to make Turf Moor a real difficult place to come."
On the absence of Kyle Walker: "His quality, his experience, his understanding of certain situations will be a big miss. But it gives another person an opportunity."
On his final message to players before a game: "We need to be fighters, to represent what this club represents. Full-hearted commitment - that's the main message."
Full commentary of Burnley v Fulham can be found on BBC Radio Lancashire's frequencies 95.5, 103.9 & 104.5FM & on DAB from 17:30 GMT.
Scott Read and David Unsworth will be behind the microphone.
'Everyone just seems to have given up'published at 09:13 GMT 9 December 2025
09:13 GMT 9 December 2025
Natalie Bromley Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Scott Parker claimed that Saturday's performance against Newcastle was the "best performance of the year".
What is he measuring that on?
As I have said over and over this season, I remain frustrated at the defensive frailties in the side, the lack of attacking threat, and the gulf in class between us and the rest of the Premier League. Last week I lamented that Sunderland had managed to get themselves a point against Arsenal owing to their ability to drive and attack in the dying seconds. This week it was the turn of Leeds, who refused to give up and won themselves an incredible point against Liverpool. Burnley's points tally against the big sides in the league? Zero.
Parker claims we are showing a fight. But the problem is that we only seem to show fight when the game is already lost. I can't remember the last time I saw us come out and dictate the flow of the game ourselves. To have put another team under pressure. To make them have to change their gameplans. We are just so painfully cautious and defensive and offer up not much more than a training game.
And, for the third time this season, we conceded the stupidest of penalties. Like the challenge isn't big enough?
Giving up is not in my nature, but I just feel so very fed up with this season and can't see us getting out of this. Everyone just seems to have given up.
So, you know what I would do? Get this team on an FA Cup run and win a trophy. Give us all a trip to Wembley and something to cheer for. Wouldn't that be something this season?
Burnley's battle for goals published at 13:48 GMT 8 December 2025
13:48 GMT 8 December 2025
Karan Vinod BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Burnley's biggest problem under Scott Parker is as clear as it is costly: they simply don't create enough. That's what the stats say, and unless that changes quickly, their battle against relegation will only get steeper.
Fifteen games into the season, the Clarets sit 19th in the Premier League with just three wins, and while they remain only five points from safety, the underlying numbers paint a picture of a side struggling to generate the sort of attacking threat needed to climb out of trouble.
Expected goals (xG) suggest Burnley should have scored slightly more than they have. They rank third in the league for the gap between goals and xG, meaning they are underperforming relative to the chances they create. But the deeper issue is that those chances arrive far too infrequently. A team can survive cold finishing spells; it cannot survive a lack of service.
Across almost every creative metric, Burnley sit at or near the bottom of the division. Their shot-creating actions per 90 minutes - the number of attacking moves that lead to a shot - stands at just 14.40, the lowest in the Premier League. Even Wolves, who rank 19th in that category and are rock bottom in the Premier League, produce 16.43. That gulf might appear narrow, but over the course of 90 minutes, and then a season, it becomes decisive.
The problem starts further back. Burnley rank 18th for passes into the final third (22.2 per match), often struggling to progress the ball high enough up the pitch to sustain pressure. Without that territorial foothold, Parker's side are too frequently forced backwards or wide, rarely managing the sort of central combinations that trouble well-organised Premier League defences.
When they do reach dangerous areas, the final ball is missing far too often. They are 20th for key passes - those that directly lead to a shot – at just 5.93 per game. Only a handful of Burnley's attacking sequences end with anything resembling a chance, putting enormous pressure on forwards who are already feeding on scraps.
Technical execution has also played a part. The Clarets sit 19th in the league for miscontrols, a measure of how often players fail to properly bring the ball under control. In isolation, individual errors like these seem minor; in aggregate, they slow attacks, kill transitions, and allow opponents to reset their shape. For a team that already struggles to create, such wastefulness is doubly damaging.
Burnley do not lack effort, organisation or defensive discipline; what they lack is sustained, repeatable attacking patterns capable of producing shots, chances and goals.
The platform is there, the gap to safety is small, the season is long, and performances have shown signs of improvement, but the margins are unforgiving.
To escape relegation, Burnley don't just need to be more clinical. They need to give themselves far more opportunities to be.
