Lancashire

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Burnley lost 3-0 away to Tottenham in their opening Premier League fixture on Saturday and boss Scott Parker believes his team will need to fight against the 'ruthlessness of the Premier League' with 'desire and passion' to get through this season.

"We were in the game, we started tentatively. We edged into it in the first half and there was a threat. For 60 minutes we're in it," Parker told BBC Match of the Day

"We missed a big chance at 1-0 and then that's the ruthlessness of the league that they score again. Overall a lot of positives and something to work on for us."

On Kyle Walker: "He was brilliant today. His experience and know-how and quality that's why we brought him here and I thought he did well for us today."

On more potential transfers: "I think it's something we're looking at - something we're trying to get in the market for and try to add a bit more depth to the squad. It's a difficult time of the year now and everyone's in the same position. Some real positives after a tough pre-season."

On Richarlison's second goal: "Incredible finish. They're the fine margins and the quality of the Premier League teams. I said to the lads we missed a great chance at 1-0 then they put one in out of nowhere. Pleased with some things but disappointed to lose 3-0. Early stages for us.

"The pressure rises every time you stand in this position. We've got a big challenge this year but it's one we will fight with desire and passion to be here."

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire he was pleased with the 2-1 victory over Leicester that keeps his side unbeaten this campaign.

"I thought it was very good. I thought we should have been more in front than one when they equalised but I don't want us to settle, so if we are brave and we go for it and they get the second then we lose a point, but if we are brave and go for it and we get it then we gain two.

"It's those nudges and shifts in mentality. We've come away with the points and that's the big difference. We had to be good without the ball and we were with one blip being the goal.

"All their shots were from 20 yards. With the ball we were really positive. We had to make sure we kept the right mentality. We were really slick and clinical and I'm really pleased."

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• Burnley conceded three goals against Tottenham despite having gone through the entirety of last season's Championship campaign without conceding more than a single goal in any match.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Tottenham's performance

What did you make of Burnley's display?

Come back to this page on Sunday to find a selection of your replies

Mohammed Kudus makes his first Premier League appearance for Tottenham from the start. Fellow new boys Joao Palhinha and Luka Vuskovic are on the bench. Richarlison gets the nod instead of Dominic Solanke up front.

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Gray, Bergvall, Kudus, Sarr, Johnson, Richarlison.

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Joao Palhinha, Tel, Vuskovic, Solanke, Odobert, Bentancur, Davies.

Three debuts for Burnley today - goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and defenders Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Sonne, Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman, Mejbri, Cullen, Laurent, Anthony, Foster.

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Tchaouna, Flemming, Ramsey, Lucas Pires.

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Aston Villa v Newcastle (12:30)

• Brighton v Fulham

• Sunderland v West Ham - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Burnley - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Manchester City (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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).

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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