Lancashire

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy says he is not expecting Thomas Frank to win the Premier League in his first season, which is nice of him, but I wonder exactly when he is expecting it to happen then?

I'm a fan of Frank, who is so versatile with his formations and, despite whoever else Spurs sign this summer, they already have some very good players.

They will be pushing for fifth place, but I'm afraid I don't see anything but a relegation struggle for Burnley.

I have a lot of respect for Clarets boss Scott Parker and what he achieved winning promotion last season. Their record of 30 clean sheets in 46 league games was just phenomenal.

They are in with the big boys again now though and, while it is one thing keeping the likes of Plymouth and Oxford out, doing the same at this level is a completely different proposition.

This is a gimme for Spurs - the perfect fixture for them to get over the way they lost the Super Cup in midweek and for Frank to get off the mark.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Spurs are required to put Wednesday's Super Cup disappointment behind them as they start their Premier League campaign against Scott Parker's Burnley.

BBC Sport looks at some key themes ahead of this intriguing clash.

It appears that trophies aren't quite like London buses for Tottenham Hotspur.

The club ended a 17-year wait for silverware by clinching the Europa League in May and 85 days later they almost secured another title. But Thomas Frank's new-look Spurs let the Uefa Super Cup slip from their grasp after surrendering a two-goal lead to a Paris Saint-Germain before an eventual defeat on penalties.

Frank was quite rightly "very, very proud" of his side.

"I think the players gave everything against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best," said Frank. "I think for 75 to 80 minutes we were perfect."

Attention now turns to Saturday's Premier League opener and fast start feels necessary.

Spurs ended last season in 17th with 22 defeats and 38 points – their lowest finish since 1977. They also took just three points from a possible nine against newly promoted sides at home, with victory over a desperately poor Southampton following defeats to Ipswich and Leicester.

Only the three relegated teams conceded a higher tally of expected goals against than Spurs last season, while the Lilywhites also ranked fourth overall for errors leading to shots with 41.

Traditionally, 40 points was thought to be enough for Premier League survival. But in the last 10 years, the average points collected by the team in 18th – which is a total that would need to be bettered in order to stay up – is exactly 32.

New boys Burnley collected 24 points during their last top-flight foray under Vincent Kompany in 2023-24, a campaign which ended in relegation. They also shipped 78 goals, but promise to be far more pragmatic this time around under former Spurs midfielder Scott Parker.

Unlike Spurs last season, Parker's side were a well-oiled defensive machine and conceded only 16 times in 46 Championship games as they stormed to 100 points and automatic promotion. However, the sale of star goalkeeper James Trafford to Manchester City feels a significant loss.

Trafford kept a Championship-record 12 consecutive shut outs between December and February and he has been replaced by former Newcastle stopper Martin Dubravka, who is 14 years his senior.

The experienced Slovakian is reportedly nursing a shoulder injury but whoever wears the gloves for Burnley this weekend is likely to be busy.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed midfielder Mads Frokjaer-Jensen will miss out on Saturday's Championship match against Leicester City (15:00 BST).

The Dane sustained an injury during their midweek Carabao Cup game against Barrow and had to be substituted.

"Mads was pretty adamant that he didn't think it was a significant one at the time and the scans showed that but he won't be fit for this week," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

North End are currently battling numerous injury problems, with the manager openly criticising Daniel Jebbison's personal trainer for an ankle injury sustained by the Canada forward during a private session.

Right-back Brad Potts is currently out with a hamstring problem, while forward Will Keane and midfielder Robbie Brady are struggling with calf issues.

"Age and previous injury history is the biggest predictor of injuries," Heckingbottom added.

"Jebbo is a freaky one, Mads was in a game so you get that, [Liam Lindsay's is] contact but it ends up being illness keeping him out. So there's only those three [Potts, Keane and Brady] which I'd say we need to do better at."

Listen to the full pre-match interview with Heckingbottom on BBC Sounds.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

How each promoted side starts the season is one of the best indicators when it comes to survival chances.

Every promoted side over the past 10 seasons with 11 points or more after 10 games has survived, while taking fewer than that has meant an almost guaranteed return to the Championship.

It'll be worth bookmarking this article and returning to it on 1 November. That's when all three promoted teams should have played 10 matches - although fixture dates can still be changed.

Incidentally, the two survivors - despite poor starts - were Bournemouth in 2015-16 (eight points after 10 games) and Nottingham Forest in 2022-23 (five points after 10 games).

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Lancashire's Scott Read gives his verdict on Burnley's chances this season:

The last time Burnley prepared for a Premier League season they'd just won the Championship title, and were comfortably the strongest side in the second tier.

They then spent around £100m in the summer transfer window and were still relegated.

However, despite relatively modest spending so far and losing key players from last season - James Trafford, CJ Egan-Riley and Josh Brownhill - I think most supporters will feel they probably have a better chance at bucking the trend this time around.

The likelihood is they will probably go down, but under Scott Parker I think they will give themselves the best possible chance to avoid it.

They will not be distracted about an idea of playing a 'brand of football' and a 'certain way' because that's how you need to be seen to be doing it.

The promotion last season - and the record clean sheets - was built entirely on a selfless attitude, and a pride in defending and being hard to beat. It is that approach that their season will be built on.

But a fast start is crucial.

Read the the full piece

We have looked into the age profile of Burnley's players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.

The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.

Burnley's squad leaned towards the more youthful side last campaign, with the majority of their players in the youth or peak categories and just 30-year-old Josh Laurent the only regular to border the veteran category.

Over the summer, the Clarets have lost key players in James Trafford, Josh Brownhill and CJ Egan-Riley, with a number departing from each of the age profiles.

To offset, the Clarets have brought in a number of new faces, spread equally across the categories with two in the youth bracket, two in peak and two more experienced ones. As far as over-30s go, arrivals Kyle Walker (34) and Martin Dubravka (36) are doing all the lifting in terms of experience.

Whether Scott Parker has enough nous in his squad will soon become evident for their Premier League return, starting on Saturday at Tottenham.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Parker confirmed there were "no new injury concerns", adding: "We have had a good pre-season. Picked up a couple of little niggles along the way but we are in a good place."

• He feels it has been "positive" and "crucial" bringing in players with Premier League experience, stating: "For the balance of the squad going into the season, we have signed players who have been in the division and understand what it looks like. It's a young squad, last year it was and this year it is, a young squad in terms of being in this league, but these players we have brought in are crucial for us."

• The Burnley boss acknowledged there are "areas we are looking at" but that "transfer windows bring their challenges" and there are "lots of factors and variables" that go into who they can sign. He added: "We have a big squad at the moment so no doubt some will be leaving, but over the next two weeks we will be trying to do more [business]."

• On trying to establish the club back in the Premier League: "The challenges for teams coming up is big. It has been well documented in recent years that they are very demanding challenges. But, we worked tirelessly for this past year. I feel like we built something fundamental in this group that is a bedrock for us and put us in this position. We are going to try and give the best version of ourselves."

• Parker said in an "ideal world you don't want a big turnover of players" but that is what relegations and promotions can bring. He added: "That is the constant rollercoaster. In an ideal world you don't want that and you want continuity. But what gets that is securing Premier League football and staying there. My job is to get the best out of players, build on what we had from last year and build culture for what is expected of new players coming in."

• On their readiness for the season: "We are in a good place. We have worked hard. I've put lots of demands on the team. But, you never know in this position until the season starts [how ready you are], and when it gets going you are always improving."

Catch up on all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has offered up his annual predictions:

20) Burnley

Last season: Second in Championship

Burnley, like Sunderland, have been making it clear they have no intention of suffering the joyless, timid, instant return to the Championship they experienced under Vincent Kompany, after Scott Parker brought them back up last season.

The Clarets have been busy bringing new faces to Turf Moor, although the departure of James Trafford to Manchester City after keeping 29 clean sheets in the Championship last season will be felt. He has been replaced by the experienced Martin Dubravka from Newcastle United.

Parker will look to veteran England defender Kyle Walker to give his team top-flight know-how, while all fingers will be crossed that injury plagued but unquestionably talented striker Armando Broja can stay fit after his £20m arrival from Chelsea. Much will depend on him.

Burnley also believe they have pulled off a coup with the signing of another Chelsea player - French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The 21-year-old has joined in a £20m deal.

It is a bold strategy but will it be enough to keep Burnley up? I have my doubts.

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