Burnley v West Ham United Saturday, February 6, 3pm Turf Moor PREMIER LEAGUE new boys Burnley have been mirroring the exploits of Hull City from last season. They made a fantastic start to their campaign, storming into the higher reaches of the table with

Burnley v West Ham United

Saturday, February 6, 3pm

Turf Moor

PREMIER LEAGUE new boys Burnley have been mirroring the exploits of Hull City from last season.

They made a fantastic start to their campaign, storming into the higher reaches of the table with some excellent home victories, but just like Hull last term, they have seen their form disintegrate and their position become perilous.

In fact, they are faring even worse than the Tigers, who just survived the dreaded drop last season.

Such has been Burnley's demise, they already sit in the relegation places with 20 points from 23 games.

Along the way, they have lost talismanic manager Owen Coyle to neighbours Bolton and made Brian Laws as his successor - hardly an appointment that had them singing from the rafters at Turf Moor.

All Burnley's five victories have come on home soil this season, and they have managed some notable scalps.

Manchester United (1-0) were the first to feel their force, while Everton (1-0), Sunderland (3-1), Birmingham (2-1) and Hull City (2-0) have all followed suit.

Impressive, but that Hull City win was way back in October and since then Burnley have gone 12 Premier League games without a win to signal their slide down the table.

They certainly have some dangerous players as anyone who was at Upton Park in November will testify to. They were 5-0 down at one stage, but fought back with the efforts of Chris Eagles and Steven Fletcher to eventually lose 5-3.

Fletcher seems to have been value for the �3million that brought him from Hibernian in the summer.

He has 10 goals in all competitions and has to be the one to watch, while he is likely to be partnered by David Nugent, who returned to the club on loan on deadline day.

They also brought in Leon Cort from Stoke City and Daniel Fox from Celtic to bolster their defence, while Chelsea midfielder Jack Cork arrived on loan.

The last time the two met at Turf Moor, during West Ham's promotion season in 2005, it was a late goal on a cold midweek night from Teddy Sheringham that proved to be the difference between the two sides.

West Ham haven't lost at Burnley since 1978 when the home side came back from two David Cross goals to win 3-2.

Laws will be desperate to register his first win at the club, and the players will be keen to impress him, but West Ham's new and returning blood may well give them the enthusiasm they need for the task.

If anyone wins it, it will be West Ham, but I have a sneaking suspicion for a draw.

POSSIBLE TEAM: Jensen, Mears, Carlisle, Bikey, Cort, Edgar, Eagles, Elliott, McDo-nald, Nugent, Fletcher.

Prediction:

Burnley 2 West Ham 2