Burnley

Image source, Opta

Monday's uneventful goalless draw between Burnley and Leeds produced the second lowest expected goals [xG] of any Championship match so far this season.

According to Opta, Burnley's four attempts in total added up to an xG of 0.18 while Leeds' eight shots equated to 0.35 xG, creating a total match xG of just 0.53 across the 90 minutes at Turf Moor.

Dan James' 89th-minute strike, which had to be tipped over by Burnley's James Trafford, prevented the stalemate from being the first second-tier clash to end without an effort on target this season.

Despite the drab affair, Luton's 0-0 draw with Preston in Matt Bloomfield's first match in charge of the Hatters earlier this month produced an xG even lower than Monday's top-of-the-table clash - just 0.49 from 11 shots in total.

Notably, November's Steel City derby saw Tyrese Campbell score the winner for Sheffield United against bitter rivals Wednesday with the match's only shot on target from a game which produced a comparatively gluttonous 18 attempts in all.

Along with Sunderland, Burnley are the only Championship side with an unbeaten home record as they prepare to host table-topping Leeds United (20:00 GMT).

The Clarets also boast the best home defensive record with only four goals conceded in their 13 games at Turf Moor.

The visitors are the top scorers in the Championship with 53 goals from their 28 matches. Daniel Farke's side have only failed to score in four league games this season.

• Burnley have won just one of their past five league games against Leeds United (D1 L3), although that sole victory did come during the reverse fixture in September (1-0).

• Leeds United are unbeaten across their past two away league games against Burnley (W1 D1), last enjoying a longer undefeated run at Turf Moor between September 1975 and October 2005 (four games).

• Burnley are unbeaten across their past 13 home league games (W6 D7), conceding just four goals in total across that time. The Clarets last enjoyed a longer undefeated run at Turf Moor between August 2022 and April 2023 (21 games).

• Leeds have lost just two of their past 13 away league games (W5 D6), though have scored just 1.4 goals on average per match during that time.

• Leeds' Joel Piroe has been involved in four goals in his past three away league games (three goals, one assist), more than he had in his previous 17 on the road (three goals).

Image source, Rex Features

Burnley boss Scott Parker has hinted that the Clarets might move some players on before the end of the transfer window - and has not ruled out new signings either.

Ashley Barnes returned to the club early in January, Peruvian full-back Oliver Sonne also arrived and Jonjo Shelvey signed a short-term deal.

Parker has also seen a swathe of players departing on loan, but may not be done yet.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We've still got a biggish squad, plenty of numbers.

"I'm not going to rush into anything, if there is something to be done which could improve us and fit into this group, then for sure we'll try to do that.

"I think we'll be more reactive to how things go with maybe some players leaving and maybe something comes out of somewhere which could be of interest. If so, we'll look at that when it arises."

Newcastle retain an interest in Burnley's English goalkeeper James Trafford, 22. (The I), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column.

Image source, Rex Features

Burnley's 5-0 drubbing of Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Wednesday means that they now hold the joint record for the most clean sheets and least goals conceded at this point in the season across EFL history.

The Clarets have let slip just nine goals so far, with keeper James Trafford keeping an incredible 19 clean sheets out of their 28 Championship games.

If Trafford manages to keep clean sheets for the rest of the season, NFL legend J.J. Watt has made a deal, external with Burnley's number one that he will come out of retirement to join up with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just the 18 games to go then!

Burnley midfielders Zian Flemming and Josh Laurent both scored twice to help the Clarets to a thumping 5-0 thrashing of basement dwellers Plymouth Argyle.

Of the top four Championship clubs, Burnley have the lowest tally of goals with 36, while league leaders Leeds United have scored the most with 53.

But the win over Argyle was the second time they have managed five goals in a match this season, having beaten Cardiff City by the same score in August.

"It's lovely to get so many goals on the scoresheet, that's something we've lacked a little bit this season," Flemming told BBC Radio Lancashire after the match.

"It's something that we knew that we can do but it's obviously nice that it happened tonight."

Laurent's double also marked the 29-year-old's first goals for the club since arriving from Stoke City in August.

For the Englishman, it has been a long time coming.

"I just follow the patterns and trust my team-mates as always," Laurent said.

"I probably owed the boys, I've missed a few sitters so happy I got a few tonight."

Image source, Rex Features

Burnley head coach Scott Parker spoke to BBC Sport following their 5-0 win at Plymouth.

"I thought we were superb tonight," he said.

"We came here with a real clear idea and a game plan. We set that up as coaches, it's down to players to then execute and the players were absolutely first class.

"We needed to come here with a mentality and mindset about us, this is a tough place to come, I know people look at league tables and may see a very different story.

"But a new manager in, an aggressive team, I played against this coach once in Belgium and had some struggles in a sense of how he sets up teams, so I knew the challenge here.

"We were just ruthless tonight. I thought we had everything about us."

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, Rex Features

With 10 minutes still to play in the first half at Home Park, Scott Parker was walking calmy back and forth along the touchline, a few paces one way and then a few back, his hands in his pockets, his green jacket keeping him warm, as it has done so far this winter.

His team had just scored a third goal, the first time since August they'd scored more than twice in league game.

By half-time they'd scored two more. The game was over at the break.

A team which has been built on solid foundations, just nine goals against in 28 games so far. Solid foundations and the rest will follow, at least that's the theory. Tonight it was, empathically.

Ruthless in front of goal, the gulf between the two sides was stark.

Unlike the gulf between the top four, there is currently nothing in it.

The top four have all won in this midweek round of fixtures.

Perhaps its points against each other that might be the difference between finishing in the top two, and missing out.

It's Leeds United next for Burnley on Monday night.

Leeds United are interested in Burnley attacking midfielder Mike Tresor, who has also been linked with a move to Dutch side Ajax. (Sports Witness, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip here.

Plymouth Argyle are five points adrift from safety at the bottom of the Championship following a 1-0 defeat at home to QPR on Saturday, which extended their winless run in the league to 13 games (D6 L7).

New boss Miron Muslic is still searching for his first league win with the Pilgrims, who welcome promotion-chasing Burnley to Home Park.

Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford saved two penalty kicks from Wilson Isidor in the closing stages of their last game against Sunderland to secure a goalless draw and extend their unbeaten run to 14 games (W8 D6).

Scott Parker's side also boast a formidable defensive record, keeping 18 clean sheets in 27 games, conceding nine goals so far.

• Plymouth have lost one of their past eight home EFL games against Burnley (W4 D3 L1), though that defeat did come in the most recent such meeting in March 2009 (1-2).

• Burnley have won each of their past two league games against Plymouth and will be looking to win three successive such games for the first time since October 1937.

• Plymouth have won two of their 18 midweek league games since their promotion to the Championship in 2023 (W2 D6 L10), though 10 of those 12 points have come at Home Park (W2 D4 L3).

• Burnley are unbeaten in each of their past seven away league games (W5 D2), keeping a clean sheet in six of those matches.

• Burnley's Zian Flemming has netted three goals in his past four away league appearances in the Championship, while he both scored and assisted in his only previous league game at Home Park with Millwall in October 2023.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley have made a new bid for Plymouth forward Morgan Whittaker.

The offer, a package of around £5m plus add-ons, falls well below Argyle's valuation of the player. It is the second approach Burnley have made in this transfer window.

Burnley failed with two attempts to sign the 24-year-old in the summer and have returned this window, although money is tight at Turf Moor and they are unlikely to offer as much this time.

The Clarets are third in the Championship and travel to bottom side Plymouth on Wednesday but have struggled in the final third all season.

Only 12th-placed QPR have scored fewer than Burnley's 31 goals this term among the teams in the top half of the second tier.

Middlesbrough are also reportedly interested in Whittaker as a potential replacement for Emmanuel Latte Lath as they remain in talks with Atlanta United, who want to bring the striker to the MLS.

Whittaker has scored four goals in 22 games for Plymouth - including the winner in their shock 1-0 win at Brentford in the FA Cup this month.

The former Derby County and Swansea City forward has scored 24 times in 103 games since joining Plymouth from the Swans, initially on loan, in 2022.

Lazio made an offer for Whittaker in last year's January transfer window but he stayed at Home Park to score 20 goals last season.

Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is still on Newcastle United's radar after they offered £16m for the 22-year-old in June 2024 but the Premier League side are more likely to try and sign Trafford next summer. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Burnley boss Scott Parker says new signing Jonjo Shelvey has "something to prove" upon his return to English football.

Shelvey, 32, left Nottingham Forest in September 2023 to sign for Turkish side Caykur Rizespor, before moving on to their Super Lig competitors Eyupspor the following year.

Having being released at the start of this month, the midfielder has joined the Clarets on a free transfer for the remainder of the season after a successful trial period.

"You can instantly see his quality," Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire. "He's not on the back-end of where he is, he's still got plenty left in him."

The five-capped England international spent seven years with Newcastle United, helping them to win promotion from the Championship in his first season - and Parker is hoping he can repeat that feat with the Clarets, who lie third in the table.

"I think he brings something different to what we've got in those positions," Parker added.

"He brings experience and something to prove as well coming back into England.

"This is a massive opportunity for him now. Back in England, back in a good football club - it's a platform for Jonjo as well."